The new fresh faced Wisconsin basketball team debuted for the 2017-2018 season on Friday night at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin basketball romped over South Carolina State to a 85-50 win in the season opener. So the easy win we won’t waste your internet time recapping the rout.
Instead, lets assess what learned and dramatically over analyze the lessons from Wisconsin demolishing a non-conference cupcake.
For starters, junior Andy Van Vliet looks like he should continue to be a starter. The big Belgian scored 18 points (2nd on the Badgers behind Ethan Happ) in 22 minutes.
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Notably, he did his work in just 22 minutes. Van Vliet shot 7-11 from the floor including 4-5 from three. That last part is especially important for stretching the floor.
In a sense, Wisconsin might have two guys filling what was once embodied by Frank Kaminsky. Ethan Happ has the post game covered. While Van Vliet can be the 7-footer who can step out and knock down shots from anywhere.
Zoning the Badgers will be potentially more challenging with 7foot Andy Van Vliet perched on 3pt arc. Will be nightmare matchup for smaller guards on close outs. Scored 18 points in 14 games last year. Had 18 in opener vs South Carolina State
— Mike Lucas (@LucasAtLarge) November 11, 2017
The Van Vliet development is exciting considering he played 48 minutes last season and made six shots total. So already setting some season highs for the big man.
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Meanwhile, Happ is still good. He had 20 points on 8-11 shooting along with 11 rebounds. Unfortunately he was just 4-9 from the free throw line. It would have been nice to see a better line from the line. That’s actually lower than his career average (.573).
As for the freshman, Kobe King played 18 minutes and shot 3-6 scoring six points. Brad Davison scored one basket in 14 minutes. While Aleem Ford had three points in 15 minutes.
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One victory over an overmatched opponent doesn’t provide many clues for the rest of the season. But it’s good to see Van Vliet in the flow. In addition, lets not forget two years ago Wisconsin lost to Western Illinois at the Kohl Center. So be grateful for the win.
Up next: Wisconsin hosts Yale on Sunday November 12th at 5 p.m. CST. That one is on BTN. The Bulldogs have won 18 games in five of its last six seasons.