The host of the game is the Wisconsin Badgers Montana State Bobcats The 2024 Bobcats basketball season opens on November 7.
The Badgers are fresh off an 85-61 victory over the Holy Cross Crusaders in a game that looked a bit upsetting overall. Wisconsin looked listless out of the gate against Holy Cross and struggled in the first half, allowing the Crusaders to take a gigantic lead. While the Badgers were able to do this and get past the Crusaders, the same result may not be possible against a more talented opponent.
Holy Cross is the No. 346 college basketball school, according to data Kenpom, while Montana State is rated as the 194th school. The Bobcats have two former top recruits in forward Max Agbonkpolo (five-star) and defenseman Jabe Mullins (four-star). Montana State is hoping to showcase an entirely up-to-date team this season, but the Badgers currently stand in the way.
Wisconsin Badgers Key to Victory #1: Slow down the bobcat attack by any means necessary
If there’s one thing for sure, the Bobcats have a select group of players the basketball will turn to on offense. The Wisconsin Badgers will need to keep an eye on Max Agbonkpolo, Jabe Mullins and Bryce Zephir. All three players transferred to the program this offseason and will make their season debuts against the Wisconsin Badgers.
A 6 foot 9 inch matchup nightmare 😈
▫️5 NCAA tournament games (USC/Utah State)
▫️116 career games
▫️Former player from the top 60 in the countryLast ride for @maxpolo15 ⏳ pic.twitter.com/pM8JuGdJME
— Montana State Men’s Basketball (@MSUBobcatsMBB) October 29, 2024
Agbonkpolo is a pure goalscorer, primarily using a mid-range play and often playing to the right to exploit his dominant hand. However, Mullins is a core player for the team, and his best season of his career came in 2022-2023, when he played in a similar role. This season, Mullins shot 43% from distance and averaged just two two-point attempts per game.
Zephir, however, is the glue that holds the entire offense together and will likely serve as the team’s general. The guard started his career at North Texas before attending a community college, which helped him take his game to another level. Zephir averaged 10.3 points per game, but shot 36.3% from distance, and also averaged 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.
For the Wisconsin Badgers to defeat the Montana State Bobcats, slowing down the offense and understanding each player’s role will be key.
Wisconsin Badgers key to victory No. 2: Agbonkpolo offense, Mullins on offense
While both Agbonkpolo and Mullins are by far the biggest offensive threats for the Bobcats, the duo is also a feeble defensive unit. Over the course of their extended careers, both players have combined for career averages of 0.7 blocks and 0.9 steals per game. Neither player is a particularly talented or willing defender, which could allow the Wisconsin Badgers to slip through a lot of holes.
Wisconsin has players they should target, but also players they should probably avoid testing on the defensive side of the ball.
6-foot-10 junior forward BJ Kolly spent the last two seasons in Division III with Western Washington before making the gigantic jump. Kolly averaged 2.2 blocks per game for a total of 74 blocks over two seasons and also added 149 defensive rebounds over two seasons. The forward is a crazy athlete who delivers blocks like superman and has proven that it is challenging to score in basketball.
For the Wisconsin Badgers to win, attacking the defense’s feeble spots will be key, as this was not done effectively early in the game against Holy Cross.
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