Wisconsin did what they were supposed to do on Wednesday night, a 77-67 victory over Eastern Illinois a solid start to the basketball season. But on a team loaded with upperclassmen, it was the play of a true freshman that had head coach Greg Gard buzzing after the game.

Forward Ben Carlson came off the bench to play an impressive 17 minutes. The former four-star recruit, a top 100 player in the nation according to 247Sports, had 13 points and two rebounds in his college debut.

“Ben specifically I thought looked really comfortable,” Gard said after the game

“Probably as comfortable as any freshman we’ve had here in a little while. Not that he has eye-popping numbers, I mean he’s four-of-five with a couple of rebounds. I thought he looked in place. I thought he really was at-ease on the floor.”

The senior-laden Badgers, now 1-0, were solid in the win.

In the win, Wisconsin was led by forward Nathan Reuvers, who had 18 points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes. The Badgers started the season ranked seventh in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll.

Carlson is part of a solid recruiting class for Gard, one that will battle for time on a deep and talented roster. Wisconsin is considered along with Illinois and Iowa to be in the top-tier in the Big Ten this year.

All three programs were in the top 10 of the AP Poll.