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The Wisconsin Badgers pulled off an 88-61 win over the Central Michigan Chippewas on Monday, getting back on track with a nice win, despite missing star John Blackwell, who was questionable with an injury and did not play.
Wisconsin was in dire need of a win after consecutive losses to the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Villanova Wildcats. But, they also needed to show dominance on Monday, which came in the form of a 27-point victory with good play on both sides.
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Here are three quick takeaways from the Badgers win over Central Michigan.
Freshmen guards step up
With John Blackwell out, freshman guard Hayden Jones stepped into a starting role for the first time in his career.
It was a relatively regular night for the freshman, who had six points, four rebounds, and two turnovers in 24 minutes of action. But, it’s this type of experience that the Badgers are hoping to give their young players during these non-conference games to get them up to speed for Big Ten play, which starts in January.
Jones wasn’t the only freshman guard who saw an uptick in role. Freshman guard Zach Kinziger made his season debut, breaking his redshirt and playing 13 minutes on Tuesday in a bit of a surprise.
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Kinziger was initially exploring the idea of redshirting, but it seems he’s made enough of an impression in practice for head coach Greg Gard to trust him. He came in at the 13:37 mark of the first half for Nick Boyd, with Will Garlock as Wisconsin’s eighth and ninth players in the rotation on Monday.
Kinziger’s impact was immediately felt in his first game. After five scoreless minutes in the first half, the freshman had six points on two threes and two assists in the second half, while being a +11 in seven minutes of action.
Wisconsin’s bench scoring has been a question at times. It’s unclear how the rotation will look come Big Ten play, but Kinziger is at least giving the coaches some thoughts to have.
Forwards shine
Nolan Winter had been dominating to start the season….
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/3-quick-takeaways-wisconsin-win-123000569.html
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Publish date : 2025-12-23 12:30:00
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