The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team is ready to play against another team.
After a 64-43 victory by team Red in the Badgers’ annual Red-White Scrimmage Sunday at the Kohl Center that surprised Wisconsin coach Greg Gard — these same lineups played a one-point game recently, he said — the coach turned his attention to Wisconsin's upcoming closed exhibition matchup with Northern Iowa on Oct. 26.
The Badgers since they opened practice in late September, have only competed against themselves, as they did again on Sunday. That’s fine, but Gard said it limits to a certain extent the degree to which his team can develop.
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Wisconsin men's basketball players tip off at the team's annual Red-White Scrimmage on Sunday at the Kohl Center.
The Badgers are currently allowed two events against outside opponents in the preseason, which this year are the closed matchup with Northern Iowa and an exhibition against UW-River Falls on Oct. 30 at the Kohl Center.
“These guys know each other so well, not only what we're doing, but they know everybody's tendencies,” Gard said Sunday. “So it's time for us to play. That'll be my next quest with the NCAA is to try to have more opportunities to play three or four outside competition events, whether it was scrimmages or exhibition games, whatever we need to see.”
Senior guard Max Klesmit agrees, but there are some benefits to the in-house competition. Players, of course, will get scouted during the year. So Klesmit said going up against players that know their tendencies better than anyone helps him develop a better understanding of his own game. The shooting — with team White shooting 32.6% and team Red shooting 45.9% — likely wasn't pretty because of that very fact.
But Klesmit also has been taking part in preseason preparations at the college level for five years at this point.
“You do get tired of it,” Klesmit said of playing against teammates only, “trust me.”
Here’s what stood from the Badgers’ lopsided Red-White Scrimmage.
John Blackwell thrives in a late-clock opportunity
It was just one play, but Gard alluded Tuesday that late-clock situations were perhaps among the things he most wanted to see from his playmakers as the Badgers near the start of the season. So, when team Red collected a rebound with just under a second separating the shot and game clock before the end of the first half, the ball worked to sophomore guard John Blackwell and he ran the clock down.
“I wanted that one,” Blackwell said. “I think I smoked the layup before so I was like, ‘I want to go get this one.’”
Blackwell didn’t have to do much — actually, he stood still for a majority of the nearly 30-second possession — yet as the clock wound down, he stepped into the shot he wanted and drained a pull-up 3-pointer from the left wing.
Given the departures of players who would've had the ball in those situations last season, the late-clock playmaker role was a question mark heading into this season. But Wisconsin has made it obvious Blackwell will be one of those players. Had it been team White’s chance to run down the clock, it would have likely been Klesmit in that role. After hitting the 3-pointer, Blackwell turned to the team White bench and flexed.
Despite scoring 13 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field, Blackwell missed a few early layups while he found it easy to get to his spots on the floor throughout the scrimmage. That’s the quality necessary in a late-clock playmaker.
“I know I'm comfortable in my skill to take that last shot,” Blackwell said.
Steven Crowl looks dominant against Wisconsin men's basketball reserves
Sunday’s Red-White Scrimmage began likely how the Badgers hope a lot of games do this season: Wisconsin forward Steven Crowl caught the ball in the post, bullied his defender in the post and scored with a right-handed hook shot. Even with the Badgers seemingly making every effort to add 3-point shooting via the transfer portal in the offseason, Crowl will remain the force that drives them most nights.
“I think the Red group knew: just play through him early,” Gard said.
Sunday was a good debut. The 7-footer has always exemplified the skill that puts him among the better big men in the Big Ten. But Gard said at Wisconsin’s local media day that through a will to be dominant, Crowl’s next step is to become one of the best players in the Big Ten.
Against senior forward Carter Gilmore and freshman forward Riccardo Greppi — and even one drive from the top of the key against sophomore 7-footer Nolan Winter for a reverse finish — Crowl looked dominant. And that’s probably the reason why team Red won so handily, too, as Gard referenced the paint-points disparity between the two teams: 36 for Red to 12 for White.
“Probably could have done a better job feeding our fours and fives,” Klesmit said. “But, you know, it's also easier if you got Steven Crowl down there to kind of throw it into and relieve some pressure off your guards.”
It may not mean much at this stage, considering it came against his own team, but there was no sign of struggle whatsoever from the graduate, who finished with 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting with seven rebounds and three assists.
Max Klesmit misfires a lot, but big volume could be coming
The shots aren’t going to fall every game, Klesmit said. Sunday, they did not for the senior guard. He connected on just 3 of 15 field goals and was 2 of 9 from 3-point range, totaling 10 points. The game didn’t count and wasn’t even against another opponent, but Klesmit still was able to provide a successful return on what was asked of him heading into Sunday.
“Today that kind of was brought to me that I had to get some more shots up than maybe some people would say I usually do,” Klesmit said. “But that's something that was talked about and I've worked on the whole summer.”
Klesmit played opposite both Blackwell and Crowl on team White, and those will probably be his two main competitors for shots throughout the season. So Klesmit put up a game-high 15 attempts as a result. The senior was red hot in the last practice made open to the media, and his scoring seems to be something the Badgers will rely on going forward.
Photos: Peek inside the latest Wisconsin men's basketball practice
Wisconsin guard Kamari McGee shoots during Tuesday's practice at Nicholas-Johnson Pavilion.
Wisconsin guard Max Klesmit shoots during Tuesday's practice inside Nicholas-Johnson Pavilion.
Wisconsin forward Xavier Amos shoots during Tuesday's practice inside Nicholas-Johnson Pavilion.
Wisconsin men's basketball assistant Sharif Chambliss, left, instructs forward Xavier Amos during Tuesday's practice inside Nicholas-Johnson Pavilion.
Wisconsin assistant Lance Randall instructs during Tuesday's practice inside Nicholas-Johnson Pavilion.
Wisconsin forward Carter Gilmore dunks during Tuesday's practice inside Nicholas-Johnson Pavilion.
Wisconsin men's basketball guard Daniel Freitag drives during Tuesday's practice inside Nicholas-Johnson Pavilion.
Wisconsin coach Greg Gard, left, instructs during Tuesday's practice inside Nicholas-Johnson Pavilion.
Wisconsin guard John Tonje dunks during Tuesday's practice inside Nicholas-Johnson Pavilion.
Wisconsin forward Steven Crowl, middle, posts up against forward Markus Ilver during Tuesday's practice inside Nicholas-Johnson Pavilion.
Wisconsin director of player development Greg Stiemsma, left, instructs guard John Tonje shoots during Tuesday's practice inside Nicholas-Johnson Pavilion.
