MIKE LUCAS Senior Writer

BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer

MADISON, Wis. — Ninety minutes before Sunday's exhibition game at the Kohl Center, Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabbenhoft was outlining some things that he was hoping to see against UW-Platteville.

Krabbenhoft never used the word "exhibition" possibly because it doesn't exist in his vocabulary. Or at least it didn't while he was competing for the Badgers (136 career games, 2005-09).

Krabbenhoft treated every playing opportunity the same; whether it was in practice or on game day; whether it was against a Division II or III opponent in November or an NCAA seed in March.

Consider:

Chasing a loose ball against Augustana (S.D.) College in the 2008 exhibition opener, Krabbenhoft bounded over the scorer's table and into the third row of the stands bloodying the nose of a fan.

"That's Joe," UW coach Bo Ryan said afterwards. "He sets the tone for us."

The spectator was not hurt and Krabbenhoft later signed his ticket stub; a far different momento from the welt on Lewis Jackson's head. The Purdue guard ran into a Krabbenhoft screen.

Krabbenhoft was a senior leader on that team along with Marcus Landry. Everybody knew what they could do. But the exhibition was a vehicle to evaluate some of the underclassmen.

Like sophomore Jon Leuer. Like freshman Jordan Taylor.

Also consider:

The Badgers played a second exhibition that season against UW-Whitewater.

Midway through the first half, Krabbenhoft posted his man in the paint and drew/initiated contact. In the process, he got poked in the eye necessitating a trip to the training room.

He returned before halftime.

Krabbenhoft raised the bar for intensity and toughness as a player. And he has the same standards today as an assistant coach, a first-year member of Greg Gard's staff.

"I want to see the little steps that the older guys have taken," Krabbenhoft said prior to the Platteville exhibition. "I want to see what little things they've added to their game, how they've learned and how they've progressed through the summer.

"Everybody talks about how deep this team is and we'll find out what those guys off the bench can do. It's my first time seeing a lot of them in live action with the lights on. Showy (Zak Showalter) is really the only guy I've been around other than watching them on TV.

"I've been impressed with the work ethic. They've brought it every day. They've been consistent. Their bad days aren't really bad. Their good days are good. It's amazing because they don't take a huge jump from one day to the next.

"But they're getting better in little increments every single day and that's what you want to see because it's still early in the process and we've got a long way to go."

One player who has piqued Krabbenhoft's curiosity has been Andy Van Vliet.

"He's unique," Krabbenhoft said of the sophomore from Antwerp, Belgium. "People call and ask me about him and I tell them, 'He's a 2-guard in a 7-footer's body.' He moves so well. In the post, he's got a natural feel. If we can get it to him in a good position, something productive is going to happen."

• Neither Van Vliet, nor Brevin Pritzl were among the 10 players that Gard used in the first half. Both saw action in the second half. Gard cleared his bench — unveiling the first ever 17-man rotation.
• The minutes ranged from two (Matt Ferris and Michael Ballard) to 22 (Nigel Hayes and Zak Showalter). Ethan Happ logged 20 (15 in the first half). Bronson Koenig played 19 (3 in the second half).
• Last season, Hayes averaged 36.2, Koenig 34.9 and Showalter 31.4 minutes per game. Happ was at 28 and Vitto Brown at 25. How will the numbers be affected by the perceived depth? Stay tuned.
• Gard acknowledged the challenge of juggling personnel, mixing and matching combinations. He might want to consult with UW hockey coach Tony Granato on the art of the line change.
• Of the players coming off the bench, four ended up with double-digit minutes: Khalil Iverson (16), Charles Thomas IV (15), Jordan Hill (15) and Van Vliet (12).
• Iverson didn't miss a shot (4-of-4) and that included his only 3-point attempt. As a freshman, he was 2-of-12 from beyond the arc, still not a prime scoring area for the bouncy sophomore.
• One of Iverson's three steals came midway through the first half. Poking the ball free at the time line, he added his personal exclamation mark to the turnover: an emphatic dunk.
• Iverson seems to flourish in a more up-tempo game. He was a factor last season when the Badgers used full-court pressure, something they toyed with on a handful of possessions Sunday.
• Hayes also showed quick hands and anticipation with three steals, one of which led to a Koenig dunk. As a junior, Hayes had 39 steals, second only to Happ's 63.
• Hayes hit an early triple (18:12 of the first half) from the right wing. But he was more than content working inside the arc against Platteville. He only took a couple of shots from distance.
• Although he missed his second 3-pointer, Hayes stayed aggressive on the possession. He missed again from close range with his right hand but got the basket on a pretty tip with his left hand.
• In the closing seconds of the first half, Hayes set a high ball screen for Koenig. Drawing a switch from the Platteville perimeter defenders, Koenig confidently sank a 3-pointer from the right of the key at the buzzer.
• The Badgers were 6-of-11 from 3-point range in the half. Koenig had two triples, so did Hill, who finished with 10 points. He also scored inside by attacking the rim.
• Hill was the first guard off the bench last season. He played 17 minutes against Pitt, 21 against Xavier and 16 against Notre Dame in the NCAA tournament. He can be a valuable piece to the puzzle.
• Thomas played 13 of his 15 minutes in the second half Sunday. He had a strong showing with the emphasis on strong. He used his strength and played big against the undersized Pioneers.
• Thomas was assertive at both ends. Besides 10 rebounds, he had a monster block on a Jake Showalter shot, made a sweet turnaround jumper from the baseline, and fed Aaron Moesch for a lay-up.
• Gard was pleased with the types of shots that the Badgers were getting from the low block and paint. But he felt like Thomas and Happ didn't show enough patience in finishing around the glass.
• The Pioneers tried swarming the ball when it entered the post. They couldn't afford to play one-on-one because of their lack of height and size. That led to a lot of fouling.
• The Badgers shot only 56 percent from the free throw line (22-of-39). Happ struggled the most (2-of-8) from the stripe. There was a stretch last year when he made only 11 of 23. But he fixed it.
• Happ shot 64 percent (108-of-168), Hayes shot 74 percent (190-258). Both should be around 200 attempts again this season, while Koenig should be well over 100. He shot 97 as a junior.
• One of the prettiest shots of the exhibition was Van Vliet's step-back jumper from the left wing. Because of his body type, he's got a little "Dirk" in his shooting mechanics.
• One of the prettiest plays of the exhibition was Iverson using a jab stab to break the ankles of a Platteville defender on the right wing and then slashing to the hoop for a dunk.
• One of the most poignant moments of the exhibition was a first half announcement during a timeout asking everyone who had been touched by cancer to please stand up.

The visual was powerful.