With the non-conference calendar winding down, Butler and No. 20 Wisconsin will continue their preparations for league play on Saturday afternoon when they clash in Indianapolis in the Indy Classic.
The Badgers (8-3) already have gotten their feet wet in Big Ten play, going 0-2. The Badgers fell to unranked Illinois 86-80 on Tuesday, which followed losses to Michigan and then-No. 5 Marquette.
Against Illinois, Nolan Winter matched his career high in points (15) and minutes played (29), but coach Greg Gard wants to see more from the 7-footer in the two games before heavy Big Ten play starts on Jan. 3.
“He’s a really good player, and I think just scratching the surface of where he can be, but I like his willingness to go get in the mix,” Gard said. “I want him aggressive offensively, I want him hunting looking for threes.”
Winter averages 9.7 points per game but lacked the confidence to take more deep shots, averaging 1.6 attempts per game until he took seven 3-pointers against Illinois. While the sophomore hit only two, Winter has connected on 34.8 percent of his attempts this season, up from 30.8 percent last season.
Wisconsin also is solidifying its rotation, and Gard wants to find the right balance in playing time.
“I’ve got to find more minutes for [Jack] Janicki,” he said. “I mean obviously [Carter] Gilmore I think has given us everything he’s got and has really embraced and flourished in the role that he has. So those two guys I would say I know I can count on. I think Xavier’s [Amos’] continuing to learn and as we go through this, you know, difficult stretch.”
The Badgers have lost three games in a row, with games against Butler and Detroit Mercy before transitioning to the Big Ten schedule in earnest.
Butler (7-3) will play its final non-conference game before a packed Big East schedule takes hold. The Bulldogs will take the short trip from campus to downtown Indianapolis with a two-game losing streak.
After falling to then-No. 17 Houston, Butler came back from a 23-point deficit Tuesday against North Dakota State, only to fall 71-68 behind a 27-point performance by foe Jacari White that took the Bulldogs out of their rhythm. White went 7-for-9 shooting from beyond the arc and 10 of 14 overall.
“That’s something that with a veteran team … just can’t happen,” coach Thad Matta said about Butler’s 23-point first half.
Making matters worse for Butler is an injury to Augusto Cassia, who started eight of 10 games this season but went down with a knee injury with 10:19 remaining in Tuesday’s game.
Butler hasn’t announced results of a planned MRI.
The Bulldogs are effective when they control the pace of the game and drive to the basket. Matta will rely on Jahmyl Telfort and Pierre Brooks to do that against the Badgers; they average a combined 31.8 points per game.
–Field Level Media
