Final
The Badgers really pulled away in the second half for a 67-46 victory. Come back for post-game coverage here on SportsBubbler.com.
2nd half
2:21 Coach Ryan is showing some senior love to Kevin Gullickson and Morris Cain who have just recently entered the game. Brett Valentyn is also getting his first in-game action. Same for Wquinton Smith.
3:24 Jordan Taylor just got his second bucket of the game. Taylor entered the game when Hughes left under concern about his eye. It doesn't seem serious at all, but with the game in hand, don't expect Hughes to re-enter the game again. That means valuable minutes for Taylor.
4:41 The Badgers have 24 free throw attempts to the Panthers' eight. Coming off the bench, Leuer and Jarmusz have six and four free throw attempts respectively.
7:25 Landry has 12 points but so far zero blocks this game. His Big Ten lead in total blocks will be in jeopardy after this game. I've got a feeling that Landry is more interested in the win, though.
9:45 One of the few positives going for UWM this half -- they have 5 second half personal fouls to the Badgers' six.
10:49 Bohanon finally got in on the scoring hitting two free throws. He's still 0-for-5 from the field on the day.
11:18 The Badgers have forced Eayrs to take his second 3-pointer of the day, this time from a yard beyond the 3-point arc.
11:52 While going 2-for-2 from the 3-point line since the second half began, Trevon Hughes now is 4-of-4 on 3-pointers in the game and has 14 points total.
13:27 The Badgers are putting pressure on the Panthers. Most recently, the Panthers were forced to take a 3-point attempt by 6-7 big man James Eayrs after the Badgers refused to allow the ball in the lane or a better shot selection by any other player.
16:21 Krabbenhoft makes his second 3-point play of the night converting a field goal while being fouled and following it up with a free throw. Badgers lead 44-29. Krabbenhoft is a perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe this season.
17:42 UWM's Avery Smith came into the game averaging 16.0 ppg, but with zero points so far, he hasn't been much of a factor.
18:02 Two quick baskets by Marcus Landry and Keaton Nankivil have extended the Badger lead to 41-27 and forced UWM coach Rob Jeter to call an early timeout in the second half for his Panthers to re-group and re-focus before the game gets out of hand.
20:00 Joe Krabbenhoft and Jon Leuer are a combined 7-of-7 from the field for 17 points.
Halftime
Ideally, you'd like to see your point guard have more assists. The Badgers' Trevon Hughes only has one assist in the first half, but he's made up for it with eight first half points including 2-for-2 from 3-point land. On the season, Hughes has 12 assists to 10 turnovers, a statistic coach Bo Ryan would probably like to see improve.
While his one assist to zero turnover ration this game isn't staggering, Hughes' zero assists to five turnovers in their last game against UConn was.
Few turnovers have led to wins for the Badgers. In games where the Badgers have turned the ball over 10 or less times, Wisconsin has a 16-0 record the past two seasons.
1st half
0:06 A Tim Jarmusz 3-pointer puts the Badgers up by double digits at halftime, 37-27. The game has been closer than the halftime score indicates, but the Badgers seem to be playing progressively better as the game goes on.
1:13 Krabbenhoft is currently leading the team in points (9), rebounds (7) and assists (2). It's the Joe Krabbenhoft show at the Kohl Center right now.
3:02 Leuer is showing extreme confidence calling for the ball in the post and getting it while putting the Badgers up 30-25 just minutes before half.
3:49 Jon Leuer is showing he belongs on the floor, if not the starting lineup. Leuer turned an offensive rebound into two made free throws after getting fouled on the following put back.
8:48 UWM's Avery Smith drew some attention when he drove the lane and subsequently assisted Anthony Hill on a short jumper once Smith drew defenders in the lane.
10:45 Krabbenhoft has over 50 percent of the team's rebounds with five so far. He just followed up a rebound on the defensive side of the ball with a field goal on the other end.
11:50 The Panthers have four personal fouls to the Badgers' zero. The Badgers are starting to take advantage of the foul situation. Krabbenhoft tied the game at 13-13 with a three point play, making a shot under the bucket and following it up with the ensuing free throw. Jon Leuer is also getting into the act getting to the line after drawing a foul under the bucket. Leuer couldn't convert, though. He went 0-2 from the line.
12:44 The Panthers are currently 3-of-5 from three point land, one reason they lead 13-12. The problem for the Badgers is that they haven't gotten a hand in the face of the shooter on all the UWM 3-point shots.
13:56 Keaton Nankivil is following up a decent performance in the Paradise Jam tournament with a nice performance on the defensive side of the ball today. So far, Nankivil has two rebounds, one offensive that eventually led to a Joe Krabbenhoft field goal on the same possession.
15:15 Even though Jason Bohanon is averaging over 10 points per game for the Badgers, his shooting percentage this season has not been admirable. Coming into the game Bohanon has a .313 percentage on all field goals. Just about five minutes into today's game, Bohanon is 0-2 both on 3-point attempts.
17:38 On the Panthers' first two buckets of the game, they've beat the Badgers once on the inside and once on the outside. To start their scoring, Tony Meier hit a 3-pointer for a 3-0 lead. Deonte Roberts followed that up with a driving layup.
19:21 UWM is perhaps taking a page from the UConn scouting report putting on a press versus the Badgers in two out-of-bounds opportunities.
Pre-game
Keep an eye on UW-Milwaukee guard Avery Smith. The senior was dismissed from the team last season, but has worked his way back onto the team this year in a reserve role. Just recently returning to the team, Smith leads the Panthers in scoring with 16.0 points per game while coming off the bench.
You can't see the game on television today, but you can see the on free streaming video on the Big Ten Network's website, BTN.com.
Wisconsin is coming off a loss vs. no. 2 ranked UConn in the Paradise Jam tournament. And while the Badgers were beaten by double digits, there were positives. The Badgers led UConn in offensive rebounds (13-10), and they held All-American candidate Hasheem Thabeet to nine points and seven rebounds. Not bad for a team that was predicted to struggle defending big men in the post.
Jon Leuer and Tim Jarmusz are second and third respectively in the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage among players have have made an average of at least one per game. Leuer has a .833 3-point FG percentage of .833 while Jarmusz sits at .714.
Right now Wisconsin center Marcus Landry leads all players in the Big Ten with 15 blocked shots.
Among other statistical leaders, Trevon Hughes is sixth in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.875 on 21-of-24 shooting), but he has the highest percentage in the Big Ten among all players with at least 20 attempts.