After beating Leon Towers by 12 points on Friday, the Wisconsin Badgers return to action on Saturday.
The game represented Game 3 of Wisconsin’s 10-day trip to France, and in the end the Badgers went 3-0 and won easily, 78-47.
Previous game reviews:
Wisconsin led 62-29 at the end of the third quarter and won by 31 points.
For the third game in a row, head coach Greg Gard adjusted the starting lineup. According to UW Communications staff member Brandon Harrison, starters:
- Kamari McGee – PG
- Max Kleschmidt – SG
- Marcus Ilver – SF
- Tyler Wall – Boyfriend
- Chris Hodges-c
In the Game 3 win, Wisconsin was paced by sophomore forward Marcus Ilver, but it was a team effort as seven different players scored in the first quarter alone.
Ilver had a team-high 14 points and has now chained three strong performances in a row in France. Ilvar is a player to watch this year due to his off-season growth after playing little last season. According to Brandon Harrison, eight of his points came in the second half and he continues to hit from three points.
Behind Ilver in the scoring column was center Steven Grohl, who came off the bench in the win. Grohl added 12 points, marking his third consecutive game with double-digit points. After kicking off every game a year ago, Crawl is one of the top divisions Greg Gard will develop in 2022. Kraul averaged 8.4 points and 4.4 rebounds in 2021.
True freshman Connor Ezegian scored 10 points, his second straight game with 10 or more points in France. Having now played in all three games, it looks like Ezegian’s shooting and playing ability will give him the opportunity to be an immediate contributor.
Scroll to continue
Jordan Davis also continues to play well. He scored nine points and made several three-point attempts. His versatility to play at fullback or small forward and shot should give him a chance to make a significant impact this season.
Tyler Wall scored nine points in the win, including six in the second quarter.
Carter Gilmore (six points), Chris Hodges (five points) and Max Kleschmidt (five points) also gave the team a boost in the scoring column on Saturday. Hodges has also thrived in France, which is welcome news after going redshirt in 2021 and not playing his final high school season due to the flu.
Walk-on Luke Hartley made his first bucket in France against Leon Towers, while Kamari McGee (four points) and Chuckie Hepburn (two points) each had quiet games, at least in terms of goal production.
Extras Ross Candelino and Isaac Card also made their debuts in France.
Next
The Wisconsin Badgers have one more game to play on their trip to France. The team will then travel to Nice to face Azurea Club de Golfe on Monday.
Related links:
You can keep up to date with everything about all Badgers Like + Follow our Facebook page and our Twitter account:
Facebook – @AllBadgersSI
Twitter – @SI_AllBadgers
You can also follow site editor Matt Belz @savebythebelz on Twitter.