The Badgers have excelled in a certain area through the first few games of the season.
The Wisconsin Badgers have enjoyed a 3-0 start to their season, most recently beating the Appalachian State Mountaineers 87-56 in a blowout victory on Sunday.
It’s been a solid start for Wisconsin, who has yet to be truly tested, as they’ve gotten out to three straight double-digit victories to begin the year. Next up? A true battle against the No. 10 Arizona Wildcats on Friday evening, with tip-off set for 8:00 p.m. at the Kohl Center.
While the Badgers have been inconsistent in a few areas as they continue to navigate the early part of the year, they’ve really excelled in one specific category: free throws.
Wisconsin shot 13/16 from the line on Sunday, which was easily their worst outing of the game, dropping their season percentages to 92.3 percent. That mark leads the NCAA through three games in free throw percentage, which was a stark difference for the Badgers from their 2023 team.
The Badgers were a solid shooting team last year, hitting 75.9 percent of their free throws, as Max Klesmit led the returners with an 82.1 percent clip.
This season, Klesmit has been 100 percent from the line, while newcomer John Tonje has shot a strong 16/17 to lead the team. Overall, Wisconsin is 49/53 from the charity stripe, leading all of college basketball at the moment.
And it’s not like the Badgers are avoiding the free throw line. They’ve looked to attack early and often, which is why they were in the bonus against Appalachian State for the final 11 minutes of that contest. But, it’s a good sign they’re able to see this level of success early on, as they’ll need to be able to hit their free throws when the Big Ten season comes around.