MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin's men's basketball team will play five exhibition games during an eight-day August trip to Canada, the school announced Thursday. It will mark the first international trip for the Badgers since 2006.
Wisconsin will play two games in Ottawa, against Canadian powerhouse Carleton University (Aug. 21) and the University of Ottawa (Aug. 22). The Badgers will then travel to Toronto for three games in three days against the Canadian Junior National Team (Aug. 24), Ryerson University (Aug. 25) and the senior men's select team A-Game Hoops (Aug. 26).
"We're really looking forward to this trip and the opportunities it presents for preparing us for next season," Badgers coach Bo Ryan said in a news release. "Taking this trip allows us 10 practices and five games, which is a great luxury. One aspect that is different from our 2006 trip to Italy is that incoming freshmen are now permitted to practice and play. So for a team with as many new faces as we will have, this gives us a head start on the season."
Wisconsin will welcome six incoming freshmen: guard Bronson Koenig (La Crosse, Wis.), small forward Riley Dearing (Minneapolis, Minn.), power forward Vitto Brown (Bowling Green, Ohio), power forward Nigel Hayes (Toledo, Ohio), guard Jordan Hill (Exeter, N.H.) and walk-on forward Aaron Moesch (Green Bay, Wis.). Redshirt junior point guard Josh Gasser also will be returning after suffering a season-ending ACL injury last October.
The Badgers will bring all 17 players on their roster to Canada and be permitted 10 practices throughout the summer, which is in addition to the two-hour instructional time allowed each week during the offseason.
Wisconsin returns leading scorer Ben Brust (11.1 points per game), as well as forward Sam Dekker (9.6 points), point guard Traevon Jackson (6.9 points), center Frank Kaminsky (6.4 points) and point guard George Marshall (4.1 points).
"A week-long trip like this is also great for team camaraderie and the chemistry is builds," Ryan said. "We'll use lots of lineups and work on a variety of things. It gives us the chance to throw our freshmen into the fire and help our returning players adjust to changing roles. Hopefully this expedites the process looking ahead to the 2013-14 season."
Television and web streaming information for Wisconsin's exhibition games will be released later this summer. Here is more information on each of the Badgers' opponents:
Aug. 21 – Carleton University
The Badgers will take on three teams from Ontario University Athletics, beginning with the class of the OUA, Carleton University. The Ravens have won 13 straight OUA titles and nine of the last 11 Canadian national championships. Carleton led the OUA in scoring offense, averaging 91.0 points per game and are led by Phillip Scrubb, who returns for his fourth season after averaging 18.6 ppg in 2012-13.
Aug. 22 – University of Ottawa
UW will visit the University of Ottawa before traveling to Toronto. The Ottawa Gee Gees went 15-5 in 2012-13, finishing in a tie for second place in the East Division of the OUA. Ottawa averaged 83.2 points per game, and will return half of the one of the league's top scoring duos in fourth-year guard Johnny Berhanemeskel (18.9 ppg).
Aug. 24 – Canadian Junior National Team
The Badgers' first game in Toronto will come against the 2013 Canadian Junior National Team, which is comprised of the country's top prep players. The 2012 team finished third in the FIBA World Championships and was full of Div. I signees like Andrew Wiggins (Kansas), Tyler Ennis (Syracuse) and Xavier Rathan-Mayes (Florida State).
Aug. 25 – Ryerson University
The Ryerson Rams went 15-5 last season, finishing third in the OUA, a year after advancing to the Wilson Cup Championship Game in 2012. Led by Canadian National team head coach Roy Rana, the Rams return a pair of OUA All-Stars in Aaron Best (15.3 ppg) and Jahmal Jones (15.4 ppg).
Aug. 26 – A-Game Hoops
A-Game Hoops is a men's select team comprised mainly of Canadians who are playing professionally overseas. A-Game Hoops has played 10 NCAA Division I teams over the last three summers, owning a 6-4 record. That includes win over Tulsa, Austin Peay and the College of Charleston last year.
