The Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team is still a perfect 3-0 after an 11-point win against UW-Green Bay last Tuesday night.
This week the competition level ramps up in a big way, as the Badgers head to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis college basketball tournament.
Set to play in three games over the next three days, Wisconsin will begin by playing the Dayton Flyers on Wednesday afternoon.
With that in mind, here is a preview of Wisconsin versus Dayton, with a look toward the entire week of basketball.
The Badgers and Flyers last met all the way back in 1961. Wisconsin won that matchup 105-93 inside Madison Square Garden as part of the New York Holiday Festival. That is the only time the two teams have played in men’s basketball.
In terms of the rest of the field, here is how the Badgers have fared against the other teams participating in the Battle 4 Atlantis:
*Based on the game’s outcome versus Dayton, Wisconsin will face either Kansas or NC State in Game 2.
The Dayton Flyers are 3-1 overall this year, with wins over Lindenwood (73-46), SMU (74-62), and Robert Morris (60-51). The team’s lone loss came on November 15 against UNLV, falling by eight to the Runnin’ Rebels.
Dayton is led by First Team Preseason All-Atlantic 10 selection Daron Holmes II. The 6-foot-10 forward is a great rim protector on defense and is a talented sophomore to watch. Holmes is averaging nearly three blocks per game and had 20 points against SMU. Sophomore guard Kobe Elvis has also had a strong season so far. Elvis previously played at Depaul and is averaging double-figures this season with over four rebounds and three assists per game. One area where the Flyers excel is on the glass. Starting forward Toumani Camara is averaging over 12 rebounds per game.
The Flyers are the preseason favorites to win the Atlantic 10 this year and return all five starters from a year ago. They finished second in the A-10 a year ago, with a 24-11 record.
Wisconsin
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Dayton
Defensively the Badgers have been strong this year, holding opponents to only 51.3 points per game. However, with three tougher games upcoming, the major question for this team is, can they generate enough offense to win multiple games in the Bahamas?
Wisconsin won the 2021 Maui Invitational a year ago, playing well on both ends of the court. Heading into the Battle 4 Atlantis, it will be interesting to see if this team can make a similar run this season.
The Badgers have shown promise this year from behind the three-point arc, but there have also been stretches of inconsistency around the rim and some spotty shot selection at times.
Coming off a summer trip to France and a game at American Family Field versus Stanford, Wisconsin should be accustomed to playing in various arenas, which could help them on Paradise Island, but the competition level is much higher this week.
The two players that the Badgers need to step up big are Tyler Wahl and Chucky Hepburn, both of whom are coming off tough games in the paint against UW-Green Bay.
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