Wisconsin Badgers Bounce Back Against Second In-State Opponent

The Wisconsin Badgers hosted another in-state opponent last night when the Green Bay Phoenix came to the Kohl Center.

Coming off a loss to Marquette, Bo Ryan prepared his team in practice all week to bounce back and get a win against the Phoenix.

The Badgers started slow against Marquette, allowing them to control the tempo.  It appeared the same thing was going to happen against Green Bay when the Phoenix got a quick 19-12 lead.

Jared Berggren came to the rescue with a monster dunk that sparked the Badgers to go on a 15-4 run to end the half.  Berggren has been a solid inside presence for Wisconsin and he will be crucial for the Badgers to be able to compete in conference.

Wisconsin didn’t have anybody in double figure scoring against Marquette, but three Badgers stepped up on the offensive end last night.  Ryan Evans lead the way with 13 points, and both Berggren and Sam Dekker added 10.

Since Wisconsin doesn’t have one or two stand out players right now, balanced scoring will be important for them as they continue on in their season.  They won’t be getting big numbers from one guy consistently, so if they find a few key players that can consistently chip in 10, it will make a big difference for them.

Poor free throw shooting has been a theme for Wisconsin this season.  That will be something they need to improve on so they can take advantage of those easy points.  This might be one of the only ways they can hang on against more athletic opponents.

This win was a step in the right direction, but it showed that they still have a ways to go.  They will face the third in-state opponent on Saturday when UW-Milwaukee comes to Madison.