Wisconsin coach Greg Gard has guided the Badgers to an 8-2 record to open the 2018-19 season.Â
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: Kohl Center
TV: BTN
Radio: 1310 AM and 101.5 FM, with Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas.
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Get ready as No. 16 Wisconsin Badgers prepare to host Savannah State Tigers
State Journal reporter Jim Polzin breaks down the matchup between the 16th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team and the Savannah State Tigers on Thursday night at the Kohl Center in Madison.Â
NO. 16 WISCONSIN VS. SAVANNAH STATE
BADGERS (8-2)
Wisconsin freshman guard Tai Strickland has played in seven of the Badgers' first ten games this season.Â
Coach: Greg Gard, 65-38 in his fourth season at UW.
Player to watch: Tai Strickland has appeared in seven games for a total of 17 minutes this season. That minutes total should rise significantly for the freshman point guard over a two-game stretch that includes games against Savannah State and Grambling State.
PROBABLE WISCONSIN STARTERS
Wisconsin guard D'Mitrik Trice is averaging 16.3 points a game through the Badgers' first 10 games this season.Â
| No.  | Name  | Ht.  | Year | PPG  |
| 35 | Nate Reuvers  | 6-11 | So. | 7.2 |
| 21 | Khalil Iverson  | 6-5 | Sr. | 5.1 |
| 22 | Ethan Happ | 6-10 | Sr. | 19.3 |
| 0 | D'Mitrik Trice  | 6-0 | So. | 16.3 |
| 34  | Brad Davison | 6-3 | So. | 7.9 |
KEY BADGERS RESERVES
Wisconsin guard Kobe King is averaging 5.2 points a game through the Badgers' first 10 games.Â
| No.  | Name  | Ht.  | Year  | PPG |
| 23 | Kobe King  | 6-4 | Fr. | 5.2 |
| 2 | Aleem Ford  | 6-8  | So. | 3.9 |
| 1 | Brevin Pritzl  | 6-3 | Jr. | 5.8 |
| 15 | Charlie Thomas  | 6-8 | Sr. | 2.5 |
| 13 | Tai Strickland  | 6-2 | Fr. | 0.7 |
YOU SHOULD KNOW
Wisconsin forward Ethan Happ, right, is averaging 19.3 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists this season.Â
UW is 2-0 all-time vs. Savannah State. The Badgers won the most recent meeting 66-33 on Dec. 15, 2011. … Ethan Happ is top 3 in the Big Ten in scoring (third), rebounding (second at 10.8) and assists (third at 4.9). … Brevin Pritzl is averaging 11.5 points in four games at the Kohl Center this season. He’s averaging 2.0 points in six games away from home.
TIGERS (3-8)
Savannah State coach Horace Broadnax has guided the Tigers to a 3-8 record to open the season.Â
Coach: Horace Broadnax, 174-296 in his 14th season at Savannah State.
Player to watch: Jaquan Dotson finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds in the Tigers’ 139-72 loss at South Dakota State on Tuesday night. The junior college transfer has reached double figures in scoring eight times this season.
PROBABLE SAVANNAH STATE STARTERS
| No.  | Name  | Ht.  | Year  | PPG  |
| 10 | Adam Saeed  | 6-6 | Jr.  | 5.0 |
| 0 | Tyrell Harper  | 6-7 | Jr.  | 8.1 |
| 3 | Zach Sellers  | 6-1 | Jr. | 10.8 |
| 32 | Chris Dubose  | 6-4 | So.  | 2.8 |
| 11 | Jaquan Dotson  | 6-4 | Jr. | 12.4 |
KEY TIGERS RESERVES
| No.  | Name  | Ht.  | Year  | PPG |
| 2 | Collins Joseph  | 6-0 | Fr. | 10.4 |
| 1 | Zaquavian Smith  | 6-1 | Sr. | 9.8 |
| 4 | John Grant Jr.  | 6-6 | Sr. | 6.6 |
| 5 | Romani Henson  | 6-8 | Jr. | 6.1 |
YOU SHOULD KNOW
Horace Broadnax was a point guard on the Patrick Ewing-led Georgetown team that won an NCAA title in 1984. The Hoyas went 115-24 in Broadnax’s four seasons on campus. … The Tigers went 12-4 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play last season to share the regular-season title with Bethune-Cookman and Hampton. But Savannah State’s quest for its first NCAA tournament berth ended with an upset loss to North Carolina Central in the quarterfinals of the MEAC conference tournament.
Jim Polzin | Wisconsin State Journal
Jim Polzin covers Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball for the Wisconsin State Journal.
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