After Robert Morris University’s Chris Ford hit a layup to tie the contest at 50 apiece, Badger faithful’s buzz circulating throughout the Kohl Center quickly vanished. With under 11 minutes to spare before the final buzzer, the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team had yet to generate momentum.
Freshman John Blackwell, UW’s newest energizer bunny, quickly erased that trend.
On the next sequence, the freshman received a pass in the left corner from guard Chucky Hepburn, drove the baseline, absorbed contact and kissed a layup off the glass for an and-one bucket.
From that point on, UW never relinquished its advantage. Over the subsequent five minutes of play, the Badgers would orchestrate an 18-6 scoring surge en route to a 78-68 victory.
Wisconsin directed its entire offensive focus to generating interior scores during most of the first half. Despite reaching the charity stripe 16 times and outshooting Robert Morris by nearly five percent from the floor, UW went 0-6 from deep and received a lion’s share of its scoring contributions from the starting unit.
Forwards Steven Crowl and Tyler Wahl combined for 23 points prior to intermission, a welcome sight for Badger fans following the latter’s six-point performance against Providence on Tuesday. The Badgers accumulated 26 of their 37 total points from the inside while RMU outscored UW by 24 from beyond-the-arc.
Robert Morris, on the other hand, shot 46.7% from deep and mustered 10 bench points. Even though the Colonials turned it over 10 times, they only trailed by two tallies at the break.
Following halftime, both squads threw jabs until Blackwell’s barrage ignited UW’s spirit. He would score all 18 of his points, including eight free throws, in the second half.
Once Wisconsin established its 12-point edge, the Badgers never looked back. UW’s final eight points arrived from the foul line, and they would capture the contest by double-digits.
Wahl, who collected career point No. 1,000 in the first half, co-captained the scoring leaderboard with 18 each, followed by a strong 16-point, 8-rebound output from Crowl. Hepburn stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, four boards, five helpers and three swipes.
Notably, guard Connor Essegain failed to record a bucket in 6:39 of play. His early struggles on both offense and defense has enabled head coach Greg Gard to experiment with the second unit.
In Essegian’s absence, both Blackwell and veteran guard Kamari McGee shined. Blackwell’s 18 points, two rebounds and two steals in 18 minutes set the tone towards the end of the game while McGee’s heart and effort shined during his 17 minutes of action.
For Robert Morris, Jackson Last scored 16 points and TJ Wainwright poured in three looks from outside for 15 tallies. Justice Williams scored 11, and Alfredo Bogllio added 10 points off the bench.
Ultimately, a win is a win. Wisconsin’s offense can, though, resemble a retro-style NBA offense. The lack of consistent shooting from outside could plague the Badgers in conference play, so Hepburn, newcomer AJ Storr and Essegian, who shot the lights out during his first season in Madison, will need to step up from deep when crucial buckets are needed.
Wisconsin will venture to Fort Myers, Florida, for the 2023 Fort Myers Tip-Off to play the University of Virginia on Monday, Nov. 20.
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