MADISON, Wis. -- The offense is a work in progress for No. 9 Wisconsin, but the defense is in midseason form.Bronson Koenig had 16 points, Nigel Hayes scored 10 of his 14 in the second half and the Badgers held Central Arkansas to 28 percent shooting while opening a season of high expectations with a 79-47 win Friday night.The Badgers were never seriously threatened after building a 20-point lead with 15:46 left following an 8-0 run. Hayes did all the scoring with two 3-pointers and a layup.But all that time they spent on defense in preseason practice paid off in the opener at the Kohl Center.Weve done a lot of drills, pulled drills out from yesteryear, put a lot of focus on that, because I knew we were going to have to be a really good defensive team, coach Greg Gard said.Its just one game, but the defensive effort bodes well for when rough-and-tumble Big Ten play starts in late December. Wisconsin pulled away after Central Arkansas got to 19-17 with 7:13 left in the first half.You know about their defense, Bears coach Russ Pennell said. Then we see it up close and personal, you see how good it is. ... They just dont give you anything easy.The Badgers pride themselves on halfcourt defense, in particular how they defend ball-screen and close driving lanes. They were a little over-aggressive early on the boards before asserting their muscles to outrebound Central Arkansas 45-29.I thought we showed a lot of promise and we had flashes of playing really good defense, Koenig said.Once Wisconsin started knocking down shots against the Bears matchup zone, it was no contest.Hayes, the Big Ten preseason player of the year, was 5 of 10 from the field. He finished 2 for 6 from 3-point range after missing his first three shots from behind the arc.Derreck Brooks had 12 points and eight rebounds for Central Arkansas.Ethan Happ added eight points and nine rebounds for the Badgers. They have all five starters and their top nine scorers back from last seasons team that advanced to the NCAA regional semifinals.BIG PICTURECentral Arkansas: Picked to finish 11th in the 13-team Southland Conference in a preseason coaches poll, the Bears hung in with the more talented Badgers until midway through the first half. With a rough schedule befitting a low mid-major school, Central Arkansas should draw confidence following a respectable effort against a potential Final Four team.Their size and physicality really took over in the second half . We just really werent able to stand up to that, Pennell said.Wisconsin: The Badgers are deeper and more experienced than the squad that was stunned in last years season opener by Western Illinois. DMitrik Trice scored six points off the bench in the first half Friday with two 3s. The freshman could give Wisconsin added quickness in a reserve role when Koenig needs a breather. Sophomore Khalil Iverson displayed athleticism with a block minutes after jumping high in the air on the other end for an offensive rebound to save a possession.TAKE A SHOTIt took a little while for Wisconsin to get its bearings on offense, though Gards team finished 11 of 29 from 3-point range. With able post scorers in Hayes and Happ, the Badgers dont normally rely on 3s to score. But Gard for the most part was happy with the shots taken from outside against Central Arkansas zone.If theyre open 3s, well take them. Not that we necessarily just want to shoot all 3s, but it works for the Warriors, joked the verbose Hayes, referring to the NBAs Golden State Warriors.POLL IMPLICATIONSWisconsin should stay at No. 9 in the poll next week, pending how No. 3 Kansas and No. 5 Oregon fared later Friday night.UP NEXTCentral Arkansas: A tough opening-week schedule continues with a trip on Nov. 14 to Oklahoma State.Wisconsin: At No. 22 Creighton on Nov. 15.---For more college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25---Follow Genaro Armas at: https://twitter.com/GArmasAPWholesale Nike NFL Jerseys . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. Wholesale Philadelphia Eagles Jerseys . Aaron Harrison scored a 22 points for Kentucky (6-1), which has won four in a row following a Nov. 12 loss to current No. 1 Michigan State. Julius Randle overcame a scoreless first half and added his sixth double-double in as many games with 14 points and 10 rebounds. http://www.nfljerseysauthenticcheap.com/?tag=wholesale-washington-redskins-jerseys . You can watch the game live on TSN at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The Flyers had won seven of eight before dropping their last two outings on consecutive days over the weekend. Philadelphia was handed a 6-3 loss by the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon before dropping a 4-1 decision to the Rangers the following night in New York City. Wholesale Oakland Raiders Jerseys . Dusautoir, the former World Player of the Year, sustained a torn bicep playing for Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. The flanker, who has played 65 times for France, is expected to be out for up to four months. Wholesale Dallas Cowboys Jerseys . Just not the game. Kyle Palmieri scored two straight goals in the third period to rally the Anaheim Ducks past the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Tuesday night. Esteban Ocon never expected his Formula One debut to come this season, but insists he is ready to make the step up to motorsports top category.Ocon will replace Rio Haryanto at Manor for the rest of the year and will make his debut at the daunting Spa-Francorchamps circuit next week. The reigning GP3 champion is contracted to Manors engine supplier Mercedes and will cut short his first season in the DTM -- as well as a Renault testing contract -- to fulfill his ultimate ambition of racing in F1.No [I did not expect the step to F1 to come so early], not at all, he said. But thanks to all the tests and my preparation this year, I feel ready for it. Its helped me a lot.But I never thought that I would be offered this opportunity quite so soon. At the same time, Im very happy about it and Im looking forward immensely to my first Formula One race weekend in Belgium.Ocon is following in the career footsteps of new Manor teammate Pascal Wehrlein by making the step from the DTM to F1, but does so with just four points to his name in the German touring car championship. He believes better results were just around the corner, buut says he could not pass up the opportunity to compete in F1.ddddddddddddYes, Im a bit sad that I cannot complete the DTM adventure. Ive kept raising my level of performance in the course of the season and gained a lot of experience. My pace has been steadily improving. So from that perspective, its a pity that Im unable to finish the season with the team.But its not possible to compete simultaneously in both championships. Consequently, I had to decide, and the decision went in favour of Formula One.Ocon revealed he has been training hard since he learned of his promotion.It was nice to relax on vacation [over August] with friends and it helped take my mind off things, but since the announcement was made, of course, Ive also been training hard.The training isnt all that different from in the DTM. Im preparing as thoroughly as possible so that Ill be ready for my first F1 race weekend. Before going to Spa, I will meet up with my new team again and well go through all the details together.