Wisconsin Basketball Overcomes Early 16-point Deficit Versus Holy Cross: 3 Takeaways

Wisconsin basketball rallied out of an early hole to take down the Holy Cross Crusaders by a final score of 85-61 on opening night.

Wisconsin looked like they were in trouble early against Holy Cross. Crusaders forward Gabe Warren came out of the gates red hot, posting 13 points within the first four minutes of the game. In the blink of an eye, Holy Cross held a 21-5 lead.

Wisconsin then settled down on defense, pulling to within one by the end of the half. In the second half, the Badgers came alive from three-point land, and the final score of 85-61 indicated a dominant Wisconsin victory, although that was hardly the case.

Takeaway #1: John Tonje will be the leading scorer for Wisconsin this season

When Wisconsin needed a bucket the most, they turned to the 6th-year graduate student transfer from Missouri. Tonje hit two clutch threes in the first half, one of which tied up the game for the first time after the Badgers trailed by 16. Tonje finished the night 6 for 11 from the field, posting 23 points in his first regular season game with Wisconsin.

“He’s the dad of the team. He Just brings that veteran presence to the squad, and he brings shooting, and he can get to the free throw line whenever he wants,” said Wisconsin forward Nolan Winter of Tonje. Winter makes a great point. Tonje got to the free throw line frequently, where he was a perfect 8 for 8 on his attempts.

Takeaway #2: Kamari McGee is Wisconsin’s best facilitator of the basketball

Kamari McGee had the second-most playing time of any Wisconsin basketball player despite coming off the bench, and that was by design.

“He gives us a heck of a boost off the bench. I don’t really marry myself to the plus-minus, but plus 35, I don’t know if I’ve seen that on a box score,” said Head Coach Greg Gard.

McGee also led all Wisconsin players in plus-minus in the exhibition at plus-22. He led the team in assists in both games, with six in the exhibition and four against Holy Cross. He scored just seven points against Holy Cross, but McGee has shown that his effectiveness is not necessarily dependent on how many points he scores.

Takeaway #3: Wisconsin used its size to defend the paint

Wisconsin dominated in the paint against Holy Cross, outscoring the Crusaders 34-16 inside. Wisconsin had the massive height advantage, with Caleb Kenney representing the tallest Crusaders’ player in the starting lineup at 6’6. Nolan Winter and Steven Crowl played strong, physical basketball on defense. Winter cashed in on his size advantage offensively with 15 points, all of which came in the second half.

Next Game for Wisconsin (1-0): vs. Montana State (0-0) – Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. CST

Next Game for Holy Cross (0-1): at Rhode Island (1-0) Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. EST