Nate Reuvers had 18 points and nine rebounds as No. 7 Wisconsin rolled past Eastern Illinois 77-67 on Wednesday night in Madison, Wis., in the season opener for both teams.

Wisconsin freshman Ben Carlson scored 13 points in his collegiate debut and D'Mitrik Trice contributed 11 points. Micah Potter tallied nine points and eight rebounds to help the Badgers win their home opener for the 22nd time in the past 23 seasons. The stretch includes a 13-point victory against the Panthers to begin the 2019-20 season.

The Badgers, who led by as many 27 points, shot 42.1 percent (24-for-57) compared to 34.8 (23-for-66) for the Panthers.

Josiah Wallace paced the Panthers with a game-high 22 points while Jordan Skipper-Brown chipped in 14 points and three steals. Eastern Illinois won the rebounding battle 40-37.

Tyler Wahl added nine points for the Badgers. Trice contributed five of the team's 16 assists while Reuvers totaled five of Wisconsin's 10 blocks.

Wisconsin surged to a 43-20 halftime lead behind a steady effort from Reuvers, who had 14 points and four blocks in the first 20 minutes. Jonathan Davis and Carlson scored eight points each in the first half while Potter collected seven points and six boards. The Badgers closed the half on a 23-6 run.

The Panthers started the game 3-for-12 from the field, struggling to get good looks and get inside against the Badgers, who blocked four shots in the first 8:29.

Wallace tallied four points in the first half to become the 41st player in Eastern Illinois history to surpass 1,000 points for his career.

Panthers senior guard Mack Smith went 1-for-9 from beyond the arc, as his streak of games with at least one make from 3-point range was extended to 82 games. Smith, who finished with three points, has the longest such streak in NCAA Division I as he pursues the all-time record of 88, held by Cory Bradford (Illinois, 1998-2002).

--Field Level Media