It may not count in the record books, but an in state rivalry was renewed for about 5,000 fans on Thursday night, as the Green Bay Phoenix hosted the Wisconsin Badgers in an exhibition game, which saw Wisconsin pull away late to a 96 to 77 win over the Phoenix. The fans in the Resch Center were split, as the crowd looked like a Christmas party, with red, green, and white spread throughout the arena. As Green Bay kept with the Badgers for 30 minutes, even those in the visiting cardinal and white rallied to support the hometown team.
With the contest being an exhibition game, the stats won’t live on beyond giving the Green Bay coaching staff, and the fans of the program, and sneak peak at what the team can do this season. Still, even with an early exit in the NCAA Tournament last spring, there are enough familiar faces on the Wisconsin squad, and certainly plenty of size, that made the Badgers are formidable opponent. While Green Bay was unable to pull off the upset, those in attendance certainly had a lot to take away from the game, and here are my key observations from the sideline.
1. Marcus Hall can hang with the B1G boys
Make no mistake, Marcus Hall is as legitimate as it gets. The Horizone Roundtable Preseason Player of the Year, and preseason Horizon League All League First Team selection led Green Bay in both minutes played and scoring, with 19 points in the contest. Hall was incredibly efficient, shooting 5 of 8 from the floor, and 3 of 5 from behind the arc.
Once again, Hall will have plenty of expectations this season. A year ago, he had worked to find the balance of being a leader and a premier player in the league. While it did take some ups and downs, he got there, finishing second on the team with scoring. In the spring, Hall left no doubt, announcing that he was returning to Green Bay for his fourth year. Of course, that was before the “5 for 5” rule was passed, and Hall intended to finish his career with the hometown Phoenix.
Playing against a much bigger team than Green Bay will face in the Horizon League, Hall stood out as the star of Green Bay against the Big Ten foe. The 19 points shows up in the scoring column, but he was effective defensively, frustrating Nolan Winter, the Badgers 7’0″ center and preseason All Big Ten selection. Winter finished the game below his average points per game mark from a season ago, held to just 12 points.
2. The other returners show growth
In the offseason, head coach Doug Gottlieb emphasized “sweat equity”, valuing the returning players and talking about the growth that they had from a season ago. Mac Wrecke and LeBron Thomas are the featured returners beyond Hall who recorded minutes against Wisconsin. Phoenix big man Maruan Cicic was held out of the contest with injury.
Wrecke and Thomas both made the start in the contest, with Thomas logging the second most minutes at 31. This is a big jump for the guard, as he had initially entered the transfer portal, unsure of what his role would be with Green Bay this season. In the end though, Thomas would return and showed lots of growth in his second year with the program. The confidence was back, evidenced by a big sequence early in the second half, scoring on back to back Green Bay possessions, earning and converting an And 1 opportunity to put the Phoenix back in the lead at that point in the game.
Foul trouble limited both as the game wore on, more on that later, but both looked much more like their 2024-25 season form. Thomas finished with more than double his per game scoring from a season ago with 9 points, Wrecke with 8. Defensively, they were both physical against the bigger Badgers squad, and through at least one exhibition game, look poised to take another step for Green Bay.
3. Newcomers make splash
With the nature of the transfer portal impacting midmajor basketball, the majority of many rosters are going to be incoming transfers. Green Bay started a pair of newcomers in the exhibition game, with Isaiah Sutherland and Ahmere Carson cracking into the starting lineup. Sutherland got in foul trouble early, but used his size to grab 5 rebounds, with 4 coming on the offensive end. He also managed to splash a three.
The incoming guards though were the key standouts. Carson logged 11 points in the game, with an impressive 7 of 9 from the free throw line. He also logged 3 assists including this lob to Ne’Quan Brown.
Speaking of Brown, the transfer from North Idaho College impressed in his debut. On the scoresheet, Brown recorded 13 points, shooting 2 of 4 from long range, and 5 of 6 from the free throw line. Brown was the leader in minutes of the bench, and is a truly unique, long versatile guard. Last, a shoutout to Stewart Erhart II who finished with 7 points, a steal, and an assist. The stats didn’t necessarily translate into the game, but he passes the eye test, frustrating the Badgers guards and serving as a catalyst for ball movement for Green Bay’s offense.
4. Gritty Green Bay
Wisconsin is a big and physical team. This has been one of the identities of the program for the last 25 years, going back to Dick Bennett’s tenure with the Badgers. Green Bay hung with Wisconsin for the vast majority of the game, but ran out of gas late in the game. The Phoenix led by as much as 10 throughout the exhibition, and led for 11:39 of the game, with 14 lead changes throughout.
Those are the numbers, but Green Bay passed the eye test too. Despite being outmanned in size, Green Bay rose to the occassion. They were scrappy and gritty, battling and banging with the Badgers up and down the court. Braeden Carrington got whistled for a flagrant foul, taking a swat at Ne’Quan Brown. Trey Autry got whistled for a technical for Wisconsin, as did Phoenix big Tadej Colnaric and the Green Bay bench.
This is a team that is going to be physical in the Horizon League. They showed different speeds, different pace, and versatile scoring. They played defense voraciously, and kept the Badgers big names relatively in check. Carrington caught fire in the second, finding his 3 point shooting stroke that helped lead Wisconsin down the stretch a season ago, and Owen Foxwell, a transfer from Austrailia, dropped 15 in the first half, but was held to just 6 in the second.
What’s next for Green Bay?
The Phoenix are back in exhibition action on Monday, hosting another in state foe, this time the Big East Conference’s Marquette Golden Eagles and head coach Shaka Smart. Tip off will be at the Resch Center at 6:30 PM CT.
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