MADISON, Wis. _ Wisconsin fans weren't treated to seeing another Final Four banner rise toward the ceiling of the Kohl Center on Friday night.
More importantly, the Badgers didn't suffer a stunning loss to an unranked and outmanned foe as they did last season.
Ninth-ranked UW struggled early from 3-point range before warming in the second half and spent little time at the free-throw line until the outcome had been decided, but it relied on its defense in a 79-47 victory over Central Arkansas.
The vibe was completely different from the opener last season, when UW allowed Western Illinois to shoot 54 percent in pulling off a 69-67 upset.
UW (1-0) recovered from a chilly start to hit 11 of 29 3-pointers but held Central Arkansas (0-1) to 28.8 percent shooting (15 of 52).
Greg Gard, entering his first full season as head coach, used five reserves just 10 minutes 59 seconds into the first half.
Senior guard Bronson Koenig and senior forward Nigel Hayes combined for 30 points to lead UW.
Koenig hit 4 of 10 3-pointers and finished with 16 points and four rebounds.
Hayes played a solid all-around game and finished with 14 points, four rebounds and five assists. He missed his first three 3-point attempts but finished 2 of 6 from beyond the arc and 5 of 10 overall.
Senior guard Zak Showalter hit 5 of 5 free-throw attempts _ UW was 18 of 21 overall _ and finished with 10 points. Sophomore forward Ethan Happ got off to a fabulous start with eight points, nine rebounds and four assists, two steals and a block.
Led by freshman guard D'Mitrik (eight points), sophomore forward Charles Thomas (seven points) and junior guard Jordan Hill (six points), the reserves contributed 31 points.
UW made just one of its first 10 3-pointers and hit 4 of 14 in the first half, which ended with UW holding a 34-22 lead.
The Badgers hit six of their first 10 shots and played sticky defense in building a 13-3 lead 5:34 into the game.
UW then went scoreless for more than four minutes, softened on defense and allowed Central Arkansas to pull within 19-17 with 7:14 left in the half.
Koenig's 3-pointer sparked an 11-0 run, which included two 3-pointers by Trice in a span of 51 seconds.
UW went scoreless over the final 2:13 of the half after a drive by Khalil Iverson (four points, three rebounds) pushed the lead to 34-19.
Hayes hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the second half to help UW push its lead to 45-25 and the lead ballooned to 48-25 on a 3-pointer by Hill with 14:20 remaining.
