Xavier Amos shoots a three against Chicago State

Nolan Kromke

Men's Basketball December 02, 2024 Jake Ross

Starting Five: UW begins Big Ten play, hosts Michigan

Badgers look to stay undefeated

MADISON, Wis. — For the first time this season, No. 11 Wisconsin will take on a conference opponent when it hosts the Michigan Wolverines on Tuesday, December 3 at the Kohl Center. The game is scheduled to tip at 8 p.m. (CT) and will be streamed on Peacock.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW:

John Tonje (9) scored 22 points against Chicago State

1. LAST TIME OUT

Wisconsin finished the month of November undefeated, ending the month with a 74-53 win over Chicago State on Nov. 30. The Badgers hit double-digit triples for the fifth time in eight games to overpower the cougars, moving to 5-0 all-time against them. Wisconsin held the Cougars to 6-of-24 shooting from 3-point range and just 33.9 percent (20-59 FG) from the floor.

John Tonje scoring a game-high 22 points with five rebounds and three assists. Tonje has scored in double figures in all eight games this season, the longest double-digit scoring streak of his career. The graduate student guard is now one of four Big Ten players with four games of 20-plus points, joining Dylan Harper (Rutgers), Nick Martinelli (Northwestern), and Dawson Garcia (Minnesota).

The Badgers improved to 8-0 for the first time since the 2013-14 season, when the team won its first 16 games. In fact, it’s only the fourth time that UW has begun its season 8-0 since 1938-39. Wisconsin is one of two Big Ten teams that remain unbeaten, joined by Oregon.

Nolan Winter and Steven Crowl celebrate against Chicago State

Nolan Winter (31) and Steven Crowl (22) each had big games against Chicago State

2. BIG GAMES FROM THE BIGS

Last time out against Chicago State, Wisconsin saw notable contributions from the two tallest players on its roster in Nolan Winter and Steven Crowl.

Sophomore Nolan Winter scored 12 points while shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the field. Winter has scored in double figures in three consecutive games, and five games overall this season. Entering the season, the 7-footer's career high for points was seven. Winter now has two games this season with at least 12 points while going perfect from the field. Dating back to 2004-05, the only other Badgers to record two such games in one season are Brevin Pritzl (2018-19) and Nigel Hayes (2014-15).

Senior Steven Crowl filled up the box score as well. In addition to his nine points, the forward collected seven rebounds, five assists and matched a career high with three blocks. Crowl tallied his ninth career game with five or more assists, the most of any 7-foot Big Ten player since at least 2004-05. Crowl is already one of the best passing big men in conference history, as he is the all time leader in both career assists (240) and assists per game (1.9) amongst 7-foot Big Ten players.

Max Klesmit takes on a Michigan defender during the 2023-24 season

Max Klesmit (11) averages 13.0 points per game against Michigan in his career

3. WATCHING THE WOLVERINES

Conference play for Wisconsin begins with Michigan, who sport a 6-1 record and received votes in the latest AP Top 25 rankings. The Wolverines' lone loss came during their second game, a two-point setback against Wake Forest. Since then, Michigan has won five straight games, the most recent of which was a 25-point victory over then-ranked No. 22 Xavier in the championship game of the 2024 Fort Myers Tip-Off.

Michigan is coached by Dusty May in his first season with the team. He had previously coached Florida Atlantic for the last six seasons, making the NCAA tournament in the last two seasons, including a Final Four appearance in 2022-23.

Michigan’s three leading scorers are all transfers. Junior Tre Donaldson transferred from Auburn and leads the team with 13.0 points and 4.0 assists per game. Junior Roddy Gayle from Ohio State adds an extra scoring boost at 12.0 points per game, while junior Danny Wolf from Yale leads the team at 9.9 rebounds per game to go along with 10.9 points and 2.9 assists per game.

Steven Crowl puts up a shot against Michigan in the 2023-24 season

Steven Crowl (22) scored 14 points against Michigan on 2/26/23

4. SERIES HISTORY

The Badgers and the Wolverines have faced each other 174 times, with Michigan leading the all-time series, 95-79. Wisconsin has the edge in Madison however, leading 49-36 in home games. Since moving to the Kohl Center in 1998, the Badgers are 16-4 against Michigan in home games.

Michigan took the last two games of the series, winning a tight 72-68 contest against the Badgers in Ann Arbor last season. Current Wisconsin player Max Klesmit scored 10 points in the game.

The previous season saw Michigan winning another close contest that went to overtime. Steven Crowl and Max Klesmit scored 14 points and 19 points, respectively. Wisconsin has won the last two games played at Madison in this series.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MARCH 16, 2024 - Purdue vs Wisconsin in the 2024 TIAA Big Men's Basketball Tournament in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 David Sherman Photography (Photo by David Sherman)

John Blackwell (25) helped the Badgers beat No. 3 Purdue in last season's conference tournament

5. CONFERENCE PREVIEW

Michigan is the first of two conference games in the month of December for Wisconsin. The other will come against No. 19 Illinois on December 10, the first conference road game of the season for the Badgers.

Wisconsin will then begin its full conference slate on January 3 against Iowa. Notable matchups occurring at the Kohl Center include No. 19 Illinois on February 18 and No. 12 Oregon on February 22.

Purdue (No. 8), Wisconsin (No. 11), Oregon (No. 12), and Illinois (No. 19) are the only Big Ten teams ranked in the AP Poll. Michigan State, Michigan, Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio State, Maryland, and UCLA are all receiving votes. Wisconsin and Oregon are the only Big Ten teams that have won eight games.

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