In its first real test of the season, the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team fell to the No. 9 University of Tennessee 80–70 before a sellout crowd in Madison.
On Friday night, the prime time lights certainly shined bright throughout the Kohl Center. The aura transformed the contest from a regular season contest to a playoff atmosphere, and fans could feel the noise reverberating from the hardwood to the nosebleeds.
Equipped with white towels, AreaRED showered the Volunteers with a resounding round of boos prior to opening tip, a recurring theme up until the final buzzer.
As opposed to UW’s first game against Arkansas State, Tennessee’s athletic dexterity was on full display. Fifth year guard Dalton Knecht quickly established himself as an interior threat for the orange and white, but unforced errors, untimely fouls and offensive rebounds enabled the Badgers to remain afloat.
AJ Storr, UW’s newest 6-foot-7 bucket-getter, finally provided an anxious Badger faithful what it anticipated in the preseason. A pair of baseline drives, including one two-handed flush, ignited the Kohl Center crowd en route to a 6–0 scoring barrage midway through the first half.
Tennessee, though, regained momentum with baskets from all three levels of the floor. A pair of 3FGs, a thunderous dunk from Cade Phillips and four free throws ballooned the Volunteers’ advantage to eight by intermission.
Storr led the way with 12 points at the break, and Wisconsin guard Chucky Hepburn followed with nine tallies of his own. Knecht’s 14 set the tone for head coach Rick Barnes and company.
Badgers’ head coach Greg Gard clearly emphasized interior scoring to begin the second half. Tyler Wahl and Steven Crowl, the leaders of UW’s frontcourt, erupted with a barrage of hoops near the painted area within the first 10 minutes of the latter half.
Whenever Wisconsin appeared to gain momentum, Tennessee answered with a crucial bucket or drew a pivotal foul. UW brought it to within one, but the Volunteers’ offensive creativity and ability to score in isolation bridged the gap between victory and defeat.
“We were there and could never get a stop, rebound or [finish with] a possession without a foul when we needed it most,” Gard said in his postgame press conference. “We’ll learn from this one, break it down and do a lot of teaching [to] make sure we’re getting better quickly.”
With such a small margin for error, the Badgers’ inability to execute from the three-point line and charity stripe proved too difficult to overcome — UW shot 25% from downtown and 60.9% from the line.
Tennessee, meanwhile, shot 50% from the floor and 82.6% from the foul line.
For Wisconsin, Storr finished the game with 17 points off 20 field goal attempts. Crowl notched 14 tallies and snagged nine boards, and Wahl totaled 10 points and eight rebounds. Guard Chucky Hepburn, fresh off his 20-point performance against Arkansas State, scored 13 points in 36 minutes.
Tennessee’s Knecht, who separated himself from his competition throughout the contest, finished the match with a game-high 24 points and five rebounds. Josiah-Jordan James hit four jumpers and junior Jonas Aidoo controlled the interior with seven rebounds and a pair of blocks.
Wisconsin will venture to Amica Mutual Pavilion for its first road test against the University of Providence Nov. 14 at 5 p.m. CST.
