Two undefeated teams will square off Friday at the Greenbrier Tip-Off as No. 19 Wisconsin takes on UCF in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.
Wisconsin (5-0) upset then-No. 9 Arizona 103-88 last Friday. On Monday, the Badgers nearly were upset by Texas Rio Grande Valley but pulled out an 87-84 victory.
The Badgers were down by four at the half, then were up by just one point with a minute to go before a pair of free throws sealed the victory.
John Blackwell led Wisconsin with 30 points, and John Tonje, coming off a 41-point effort over Arizona, scored 19.
“We made some mistakes and allowed the force rotations and scrambles; they got some confidence and it grew,” Badgers coach Greg Gard said. “That second half we were better. Good teams find a way when things aren’t always clicking. We’ll learn from it and keep getting better.”
Guard Max Klesmit spoke on the adjustments made when the team was down at halftime.
“I think we’re all pretty hard on each other in the locker room when it’s just the players waiting for the coaches,” Klesmit said. “There wasn’t anything specific coach said in the huddle. I think we all kinda knew the issue that had just happened and how we had to fix it.”
UCF has been in some battles to reach 4-0, coming in off an 80-69 home win over Tennessee Tech on Tuesday.
Keyshawn Hall led UCF with 20 points and eight rebounds. Jordan Ivy-Curry added 15 points and Dallan “Deebo” Coleman scored 14. Darius Johnson also joined the 1,000-point club with his six points, the first Knights player to reach the milestone since Tacko Fall (2019).
“When we build the lead, we have to learn how to sustain and build on it,” UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said. “Our guys played with a lot of poise down the stretch and gave us a chance to win the game.”
Dawkins continued: “I thought Deebo was terrific; he gave us a huge lift, especially in the first half. His leadership showed the whole game. He’s a senior and he’s already accomplished in college. He provided that for us, and I was happy to see him knock those shots down tonight.”
Before the Tennessee Tech game, the Knights beat then-No. 13 Texas A&M by three in the season opener, Purdue Fort Wayne by seven, and Florida Atlantic by six. Friday will be UCF’s first game away from home.
Ivy-Curry leads the Knights in scoring at an average of 17.8 points per game, just ahead of Hall’s 17.5. Hall also has a team-best 7.8 rebounds per contest, and Johnson leads with 5.3 assists.
Tonje tops Wisconsin with 22.6 ppg, with Blackwell behind him at 16.2. Nolan Winter averages 5.2 rebounds while Steven Crowl leads with 3.4 assists per game.
This contest is part of the inaugural Greenbrier Tip-Off at the historic Colonial Hall inside The Greenbrier resort. The winner of this game will play the winner of Pitt and LSU, and the losers will face off as well.
–Field Level Media
