Opening Comments: Wow. What a suffocating defense tonight. I know it was UW-Superior, but Hughes dominated whoever was playing point guard for them. He stole the show literally from Superior and figuratively from Nankivil, Leuer, and Evans' performances.
Summarizing the game in a few words: UW won easily due to forcing a ton of turnovers, converting a bunch of transition baskets, despite having a very poor shooting night from 3.
Pace: A zippy 73 possessions, leaving the two game exhibition average at 74.
Efficiency: Was it offense or was it defense? Both, but mostly defense.
UW-S scored a lowly 0.64 PPP. They scored 1.03 in D3 last season and UW gave up 0.72 to BSU and 0.95 last season.
UW scored a decent 1.10. They scored 1.20 on BSU and 1.14 last season. Superior gave up 1.05 to D3 last season.
Shooting: UW took 17 more shots from the floor and 4 more from the line. See the turnovers…
3 pt shooting: UW continued to struggle from distance in this game also. They hit a poor 3-19 for 16%, while Superior hit a slightly better 5-20 for 25%. Edge Superior – plus 6 points.
2pt shooting: UW, again, was hot inside the arc. UW took 18 more shots and made all 18 extra. They were 31-56 for 55% while Superior was 13-38, or 34%. Edge UW – plus 36 points.
1pt shooting: UW took 11 FTA and made 9 of them, for a great 82%. Superior was 6-7, or 86%. Another case of quantity overcoming quality, UW had a plus 3 points from the line.
Rebounding: UW had a slight edge, winning the rebounding margin by 5, 44-39.
UW Defensive End: UW did a subpar job IMO, considering the lack of emphasis placed on offensive rebounds by Superior last season. They grabbed 30 of 41 rebounding opportunities, or 73%. In the BSU game, they grabbed 91%. Average in D1 is 67%.
UW Offensive End: UW was good on the offensive glass. They had 42 rebound opportunities and got 14 for 33%. This isn’t a point of emphasis for the Badgers, so anything near or above 30% is good.
Turnovers: Superior had 24 TOs, or 33%. UW had 6 for 8%. The low amount for UW is normal, but the massive amount by Superior is a surprise considering their ability to protect themselves (nearly identical TO% as UW last season). Forcing many turnovers will probably not continue.
Fouls: Superior had 16 fouls to UW’s 12. UW also made 9 free throws to Superior’s attempts. They have made 28 free throws, while their opponents have attempted 12 through the 2 exhibition games. I hope this trend continues into the regular season.
Playing time: Bo played 8 players more than 10 minutes, with another 2 getting 9 minutes. Still playing around with different line-ups.
Notable Performances: Despite being an exhibition game, many players had games worthy of praise.
Ryan Evans was not only the leading rebounder with 8, but stuffed the stat sheet again with 8 points, 3 blocks, and an assist too.
Starting bigs Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil churned out a highly efficient night, combining for 30 points on 14- 22 shooting, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists.
J-Bo, despite being 2-8 from 3, had 14 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and 1 block.
Trevon Hughes… what a game. He did everything but turn the ball over (0 TOs). He had 9 points, 10 steals, 9 assists, and 2 rebounds. Trevon, long will the tales of your exploits be told around the campfires of my people.
Closing Thoughts: With a game like this, I can’t help but get excited about the season. Hughes had great court vision… Leuer, Nankivil, and Evans are flowing with confidence… the team defense looks great. Sunday is go time. It’ll be interesting to see how the rotation in a real game is managed, as Ryan Evans has gone from projected 9th or 10th guy to the first one off the bench tonight and getting the most minutes amongst the reserves and more minutes than Nankivil and Leuer in tonight’s games. Also to see where Berggren fits in and if Bruesewitz is playing or not.
