The season opener is finally here for the Wisconsin Badgers, as they take on the Denver Pioneers on Monday evening at the Kohl Center. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. on Big Ten Plus.
Wisconsin enters the season with another revamped roster. The Badgers went out and got Owen Foxwell, Eian Elmer, Trey Autry, and Victory Onuetu to replace their outgoing players, while Nolan Winter leads the team’s returners coming into the season.
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The Badgers aren’t seen very favorably from the public, as they ranked 11th in the Big Ten preseason poll. They were also outside of the AP Top 25, and weren’t among the 15 teams receiving a vote outside the rankings either.
Wisconsin won all three of its exhibition games, most recently beating the Oklahoma State Cowboys at the Kohl Center. In those three games, Wisconsin went with the same starting five: Owen Foxwell, Jack Janicki, Eian Elmer, Nolan Winter, and Victory Onuetu. They also rolled out a regular 11-man rotation, so we’ll see how Greg Gard handles his team’s depth.
Wisconsin is making a change to its starting lineup, with Braeden Carrington replacing Jack Janicki as the starting shooting guard. Carrington is eligible for a fifth season after a court ruling last month, and is expected to carve out a big role this season.
Wisconsin will continue starting Victory Onuetu as Austin Rapp ramps up from an offseason procedure, and Zach Kinziger, Hayden Jones, Trey Autry, Janicki, and freshman Jackson Ball are all depth options off the bench.
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It’s unclear if center Will Garlock will play after he was out for Wisconsin’s final exhibition game, so the Badgers frontcourt is a bit thin with depth. That could mean some smaller lineups for stretches on Monday.
The Badgers head into the opener as 25.5-point favorites. Join us as our first game thread of the season is officially open!
