Wisconsin gets a quick chance to sharpen things up Friday night when Delaware comes to Madison for a non-conference matchup, and the Badgers are coming off a win that left plenty of room for cleanup.
The Badgers opened the season Monday with a 75-68 victory over Denver, but the performance wasn’t nearly as crisp as Greg Gard would have liked. Wisconsin is trying to settle in after bringing in eight new players from last year’s 24-11 team, the group that was upset by No. 12 seed High Point, 83-82, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
“We did not play to our standard and that's how we want to play the game and the rhythm we need to get into,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said afterward. “But as I've told the team, a little game pressure sometimes is good, especially early, because we haven't had really any. And you can't simulate some of the stuff in practice.”
Even in the win, the shooting numbers told the story. Wisconsin went 6 of 26 from 3-point range and 7 of 18 at the foul line, including 3 of 13 in the second half. That was a sharp departure from a program that led the Big Ten and ranked sixth nationally in free-throw percentage at 78.8% last season, then finished first in the country in 2024-25 at 82.6%.
“It's not like we will start practicing free throws,” Gard said. “We did that ... same drills, same stuff that when we led the country in free throw shooting a year or two ago. So, just need to step up and make them.”
Wisconsin also got only 16 points combined from its six reserves. Still, there were some bright spots in the opener.
Eian Elmer, a transfer who helped Miami (Ohio) to a 31-0 regular-season record, scored 18 points in his Wisconsin debut. Point guard Owen Foxwell, who spent the last five seasons in the Australian National Basketball League, added 14 points and seven assists.
Delaware arrives with a much louder offensive showing in its pocket. The Blue Hens rolled past Notre Dame of Maryland, an NCAA Division III school, 105-44, using an early 24-0 run to seize control and building a 55-16 halftime lead.
Five transfers were in Delaware’s starting lineup, and the group shot 59.2% overall while hitting 46.4% from 3-point range. The Blue Hens made 13 of 28 shots from deep and finished with six players in double figures.
Chuck Bailey III, a transfer from Nevada, led the way with 22 points in 21 minutes, going 9 of 11 from the field. Steven Solano, a 7-foot transfer from St. Joseph's, posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
“We've just got to keep trying to get better. That's been my sales pitch to these guys.
Keep buying in,” Delaware coach Martin Ingelsby told Delaware Online after the opener. “I think we made step forward from last week to where we are now.”
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