3 Bold Predictions for Wisconsin vs Montana State

The Wisconsin Badgers will take on Montana State tonight in their second game of the young basketball season. After escaping week one with a win against Holy Cross, they'll look to start faster and avoid a potential upset. Here are three bold predictions for tonight's contest.

1. John Tonje Will Score 30 Points

After dropping 23 points in his Badger debut, it was clear that Tonje will be the offensive playmaker for Wisconsin this year. Tonight against Montana State will be no different, and with the opening night jitters gone, he could score 30 or more points. Tonje missed most of the last season due to injury, and after transferring to Wisconsin, he clearly has something to prove. The all-time points per game record for the Badgers is 23.8, held by Clarence Sherrod, Tonje has the skill and opportunity to get close.

2. Badgers Remain Perfect from the Free Throw Line

Wisconsin was a perfect 16-for-16 from the charity stripe in the opener. What's more impressive, is that five different Badgers took shots from the line and none missed. While staying perfect would be extremely difficult, the Badgers are a great free-throw shooting team and will play at home once again. Tonje, Blackwell, and Klesmit are all 80% or better for their career. The longest streak is 54 consecutive free-throws by Missouri over two games.

3. Kamari McGee Will Earn Starting Role for the Season

Gard mentioned post-game that he has toyed with the idea of starting McGee, and after Montana State, his choice might become easier. McGee posted an incredible +35 plus/minus against Holy Cross, and led the team in assists from off the bench. He has improved by leaps and bounds this year, and could start for Wisconsin when the gameplan calls for a smaller lineup, effectively bumping Winter back down to the bench. If he has another standout performance tonight, Gard may be left with no choice but to permanently insert the guard into the starting rotation.