Wisconsin Basketball: Badgers host Florida A&M in final non-conference game
The Wisconsin Badgers will wrap up their non-conference slate on Friday, hosting Florida A&M in Madison.
The Wisconsin Badgers (10-2) will be looking to make it seven straight on Friday heading into the treacherous Big Ten schedule, when they host the Florida A&M Rattlers (2-10) out of the MEAC.
Winners of six straight, the Badgers have played dominating basketball since their Maui Championship blowout loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels, defeating two of last year’s Final Four teams in Syracuse and Oklahoma, as well as two pesky in-state rivals- Marquette and Green Bay.
Before beginning conference play, the Badgers will have one final tune-up game against a struggling Rattlers team that has zero wins over Division I teams this season and losers of their last nine games since beginning 2-1. A young team with just two seniors, the Rattlers have some talented, explosive players, with three juniors averaging double digits for head coach Byron Samuels’ team.
For the Badgers, early season struggles are beginning to fade away more and more with each game. Less turnovers and better shot selection have been a huge part of the Badgers’ current win streak and the solid post play of their bigs- Ethan Happ, Nigel Hayes, and company have helped take some pressure off of the outside shooters.
Happ, who is averaging a near double-double at 13.3 points and 9.6 rebounds, has been a force down low this season after a slow start. He even made his first outside shot as a member of the Badgers.
“It gave me a little bit of a chill feeling,” Happ said of his made jumper versus Green Bay, which sent the Wisconsin crowd into a frenzy. “But I want to get to the point they don’t have to do that every time that I make that shot. Hopefully down the road, that’s just a normal clap.”
Florida A&M offers a much better team than their record indicates, having experienced many close games so far this season. A team that is made up of six transfers and three freshman, getting this team to click and feed off one another is what will take them to the next level, Samuels thinks.
“Several times we’ve been in position to win games, but not making the routine, fundamental plays…missed layups, missed free throws, not rebounding more…have led to missed opportunities,” Samuels said.
The Badgers currently sit as 38.5 point favorites. Tipoff will be 8:00 CT on Big Ten Network. Wisconsin opens up Big Ten play on Tuesday when they welcome Rutgers to the Kohl Center.
More from Badger of Honor
This article originally appeared on 
