Sometimes, life is as hard as a blogger. Marquette and Wisconsin are playing on the same day. And sometimes at the same time. I’ll never watch Wisconsin over Marquette. Just not in my blood or my DNA. But when I’m writing about teams I like to watch the games if I can. So this means either Wisconsin later or trying to convince my fiancee to watch two basketball games in one night. I’m faced with the same problem on Tuesday. Not that you guys care. But here’s what I’ve seen thus far from watching Wisconsin against the same two teams that Marquette faced this week.

1. Fast first halves for Wisconsin – In both games, Wisconsin came out with a bang. They had a 20+ lead against Eastern Illinois in the first half, and they opened up with a dominating 25-0 run against Pine-Bluff. To me, this matters especially the Eastern Illinois one. That shows a couple of things. One, it shows the experience of this team, and second, it shows the game-planning efforts by Greg Gard is solid. Wisconsin looked like the red-hot team in March in those first periods. That shouldn’t come as a surprise with all of the returning players.

2. Ben Carlson and Johnathan Davis seem more than ready – Wisconsin brought in two very talented freshmen in Ben Carlson and Johnathan (I thought he went by Johnny?) Davis. They’re ready to go right now. Carlson had 13 points in the first game. Davis nearly had a double-double in the second game. Adding these guys to an already-talented Wisconsin team is the exact reason why hopes are so high for them. Davis could push Aleem Ford or Brad Davison for a starting spot. And to have the ability to rotate Carlson in with Nate Reuvers and Micah Potter can help with keeping all three big men out of foul trouble.

3. It is still unknown what Wisconsin’s big-game lineup will look like – One thing I’m curious to see next Friday is how deep will Wisconsin’s bench go in a meaningful game. Gard mentioned after Wednesday’s game that part of the reason they lost their lead to Eastern Illinois was him rotating guys in and out. Carlson and Davis are no-brainers. But it will be interesting to see if Tyler Wahl gets a decent amount of run too. The same goes for Trevor Anderson. Or will Wisconsin feel comfortable only going seven deep?

4. D’Mitrik Trice is off to a strong start – D’Mitirk Trice feels like he’s been at Wisconsin forever. He also feels like a guy that has gone through ups and downs with the fan base. If Trice plays like this the rest of the season, no one should have a problem with him. He had double-digits in scoring in both games and also added five assists in the first game. Trice is showing reliability early on this season, and he is a stabilizer for this squad.

5. Reuvers or Potter, pick your poison – Besides the talented freshmen, the duo of Nate Reuvers and Micah Potter is why everyone is ready for Wisconsin’s season and believes they can be one of the best in the nation. In game one, Reuvers had 18 points, eight rebounds, and five blocks. In game two, Potter added 19 points and helped the offense go while Reuvers battled some early foul trouble. As these two get more comfortable with playing each other, the better Wisconsin is going to get.

Next up: Wisconsin will host their in-state opponent UW-Green Bay. This will be a homecoming for Will Ryan, Bo’s son, coaching at the Kohl Center. Green Bay still has mega issues with their defense, so, don’t be surprised if Wisconsin hangs 80 or 90 on them.

Charlie.