The No. 24 Wisconsin Badgers welcome the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars of the Ohio Valley Conference to the Kohl Center on Monday, November 17th. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.
Wisconsin took
care of business last Tuesday, outclassing the Ball State Cardinals 86-55. Nolan Winter led the Badgers with his second double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Wisconsin also got quality minutes from its bench, with Braeden Carrington scoring 12 points in 17 minutes and Aleksas Bieliauskas grabbing eight rebounds.
What should Badger fans know about the SIU-Edwardsville?
Opponent Preview
Brian Barone and the Cougars came into this season predicted to finish third in the Ohio Valley Conference. Despite losing all-time leading scorer Ray’Sean Taylor to graduation and All-OVC second team guard Brian Taylor II to the transfer portal, SIUE is off to a solid 3-1 start. In their last game, the Cougars upset the Drake Bulldogs in Des Moines, 71-69, on a game-winning shot by Ring Malith.
Malith is the player to watch for the Cougars. The 6-foot-9 athletic forward from South Sudan leads SIUE with 17.9 points per game and can be a matchup nightmare for the Badgers. Not only can Malith play guard, but he also runs the floor well in transition.
At point guard is Southern Indiana transfer and Wisconsin native, Jack Campion. Campion is a solid fundamental guard who leads the Cougars with 4.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game. At the other guard position is Jordan Pickett, who averages 5.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. Pickett had his best game of the season in SIUE’s 77-60 win at UTSA, notching nine points on four-of-nine shots from the floor
Leading the Cougars in rebounding is 6-foot-7 forward Myles Thompson with 7.3 rebounds per game. Thompson is coming off a double-double against Drake with 11 points and 13 rebounds. The tallest player on SIUE’s roster, Arnas Sakenis, leads the Cougars with 1.5 blocks per game. Sakenis, who got his first start of the season against Drake, has had three straight games with two blocks.
Score Prediction
Do you remember last season when UT-Rio Grande Valley gave Wisconsin a major scare? Because this game is giving off these similar vibes. The Badgers cannot afford to take SIUE lightly, or they will have to sweat it out, just like they did against UTRGV.
SIUE comes into this game allowing 58.2 PPG, but they have not faced an offense as efficient as Wisconsin’s. Against Ball State, John Blackwell scored only eight points in 26 minutes. I believe we will see a more aggressive Blackwell against SIUE, as the Badgers pull away from the Cougars in the second half for another dominant win.
Prediction: Wisconsin 85-65.
