Wisconsin’s offense didn’t have to carry the night Friday at the Kohl Center. The Badgers’ defense did the heavy lifting.
In a 73-64 win over Delaware, Wisconsin leaned on a swarming effort that turned a shaky shooting night into a second straight victory. The Badgers shot 39.7 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from three, but they made life miserable for a Delaware team that had opened the season by scoring 105 points and shooting over 59 percent against a Division-3 opponent.
That kind of efficiency never showed up in Madison. Delaware finished at 35.6 percent, and Wisconsin’s pressure kept the Blue Hens from finding any easy rhythm.
Five Badgers scored in double figures, with Braeden Carrington and Owen Foxwell each finishing with 16 points. Victory Onuetu added 11 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double, while Nolan Winter and Eian Elmer also scored 11 apiece. Jack Janicki chipped in seven, and Zach Kinziger had one.
Carrington was everywhere. He gave Wisconsin a lift with his spot-up shooting and then kept making disruptive plays on the defensive end, where his hustle helped fuel the Badgers’ biggest stretch of the game.
That stretch came in the second half after Wisconsin had only a one-point lead. Over eight possessions, the Badgers pushed the margin to 11. They forced three turnovers in that span, including one that led to Winter’s fast-break layup, and they also generated two one-shot possessions.
Carrington set the tone on one sequence before the under-16 timeout, forcing a steal and then breaking up a layup attempt in a 10-second burst. Wisconsin’s defenders then finished the job by swarming a post entry pass into another turnover.
From there, the Blue Hens never got closer than nine points after the 9:35 mark.
Chuck Bailey III led Delaware with 26 points.
For Wisconsin, the result was a sharp contrast from last season’s identity. The Badgers rode offense to the NCAA Tournament a year ago, averaging 83.0 points per game and posting a program-record 12 games of at least 90 points. But that team also had trouble when the shots weren’t falling, going 1-7 in games when it shot below 40 percent.
Friday offered a different path to a win.
The Badgers also won the turnover battle by a slim margin, 8-9, but they made that edge count in a big way with a 16-2 advantage in points off turnovers.
There were still a few things to watch. Wisconsin’s bench has not yet looked like a major strength through two games, with the reserves combining for just eight points. Seven of those came from Janicki, while Austin Rapp was held scoreless.
Sophomore center Will Garlock also returned after missing Monday’s opener, but his night was quiet. In six minutes, he missed his only shot and finished with a foul and a turnover.
Delaware was a step up in competition from Denver, with a roster reshaped by multiple power-conference transfers, and Wisconsin handled that challenge by limiting the Blue Hens’ clean looks.
The Badgers now turn to Fairfield on Tuesday night to continue their homestand. The Stags lost their opener to Vermont and will play at Bryant on Sunday before coming to Madison.
Sophomore Declan Wucherpfennig was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference preseason player of the year, and he backed that up with a career-high 25 points in the opener. Wisconsin’s only previous meeting with Fairfield came on December 31, 1992, when the Badgers won 76-55.
Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m., and the game will air on the Big Ten Network.
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