The Badgers had a major win at home on Sunday over Appalachian State
The Wisconsin Badgers had their biggest win of the early season, beating the Appalachian State Mountainers 87-56 on Sunday to improve to 3-0 on the year.
Similar to their first two games, Wisconsin had a slow start in this one, allowing Appalachian State to start 7/10 from the field, while they only hit 4 of their first 15 field goals. But, after the slow start, the Badgers settled down in a big way and ended up taking over in what would be a blowout victory.
Here are three quick takeaways from Wisconsin’s 87-56 win over Appalachian State on Sunday.
Crazy run
As I mentioned above, it was much of the same to start for Wisconsin, as they started cold from the field, hitting just four of their first 15 shots. But, unlike the first two games, many of those attempts were from inside the arc, as the Badgers took just three shots from deep in that stretch.
But, the slow starts haven’t just been on offense; they’ve come on the defensive end too. Appalachian State came out hot, hitting seven of their first 10 shots, including 2/3 from deep. That gave them an early 17-8 lead, but there came the Badgers screaming back.
Wisconsin went on an incredible 24-0 run, going 10/13 during that stretch, with the three misses all coming on one possession. The Badgers relied on Steven Crowl (more on him later), but also got offense from a number of different sources.
Nolan Winter started things off with five straight points, hitting a layup and an open catch-and-shoot three. Crowl got two buckets of his own, while John Blackwell looked to be aggressive for a pair of layups as well. John Tonje got going during this stretch, getting three layups to go, as well as a clean stepback three, and the Badgers were off from there.
Wisconsin flipped the 17-8 lead to a 32-17 lead over a 10-minute stretch, as their offense took off.
In addition, their defense was incredible after the slow start, as Appalachian State couldn’t get many open looks, while the Badgers were pestering the Mountaineers with their ball pressure, forcing a whopping 10 steals in the first half alone. Max Klesmit led the way with four steals, while John Tonje and Nolan Winter each had a pair as well.
Overall, it was an impressive run from the Badgers and one that changed the entire direction of the game.
Steven Crowl
We’ve waited to really say Steven Crowl’s name through the first few games of the season.
While guards John Tonje and Max Klesmit have each had a standout game, the Badgers center averaged just 6.5 points per game entering Sunday, while shooting 36.4 percent from the field.
Well, from the jump, it was pretty clear that Sunday was going to be a Steven Crowl game. Appalachian State could match Wisconsin’s size, leaving a ton of 1-on-1 opportunities for Crowl, which the big man feasted with.
After a few early misses, Crowl really settled in, scoring eight points in the first half, while shooting 4/6 inside the arc. That success continued in the second half, as Crowl had nine points on 3/5 shooting, hitting a three-pointer in there as well.
Crowl still had his moments as a passer, totaling four assists, with three coming in the first half, but the center was aggressive early and often, which the Badgers needed as they looked for success inside the arc.
Double teams have taken away some of that aggressiveness through the early games of the season, so it was good for Crowl to get a chance to settle in and assert his dominance on Sunday in his breakout game of the early season.
Second half spree
Whereas the first two games have been competitive for the Badgers at halftime, Wisconsin really started to close the door on this one by the first 20 minutes.
They led 36-20 at halftime, but they didn’t start slow in the second half, not allowing Appalachian State a chance to come back.
The Badgers scored 51 points in the second half, a season-high, as they shot 48.6 percent from the field in the period. They were really hot to begin the period, scoring 34 points through the first 11:19, while shooting 11/15 from the field and 3/6 from three.
While those numbers waned a bit over the final minutes of the second half, Wisconsin did pick up eight offensive rebounds and took advantage at the free throw line, hitting all 12 of their shots at the charity stripe.
Max Klesmit really got going during this stretch, scoring 12 points in the second half as he looked to be aggressive inside the arc. Transfer forward Xavier Amos shined as well with 10 points in the second half, hitting a pair of threes and getting to the line for two separate trips.
While the Badgers are starting games slow, they’re finishing games strong to start the season, which bodes well for them as they continue to figure things out overall.