The 2022-23 Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team averaged 65.3 points per game on offense, the second-lowest in the Big Ten. The Badgers were ranked No. 14 in the country at the start of the new year before dropping 12 out of their last 18 games and missing the NCAA Tournament entirely.
This collapse marked the start of a new era of offense for Wisconsin basketball.
The 2023-24 team was a stepping stone, averaging 74.7 points per game and making a run to the finals of the Big Ten Tournament. Despite an early exit in the first round of March Madness, the signs of improvement on offense were clear. Standout freshman guard John Blackwell proved to be a new hope for Wisconsin, and he was primed to earn more playing time in 2024 after the departures of AJ Storr and Chucky Hepburn in the offseason.
This season, this pack of Badgers is cruising. The electrifying offense averages 81.7 points per game, the fourth-most in the Big Ten. Senior guard John Tonje might be the best transfer acquisition in the country, and he’s been the engine for the Badgers offense all season long. Tonje leads the team in points per game with 19.7 and recently posted 30-plus points back-to-back games, becoming the first to do so since Michael Finley in 1994.
Blackwell has also stepped up for the Badgers. The sophomore guard already has a leadership position on the team and averages the second-most points per game behind Tonje. The “fire and ice” duo has been vital to the Badgers’ success, and it has even gained recognition from broadcasting legend Ian Eagle.
While Tonje and Blackwell have been the leaders on offense, the entire unit deserves recognition for this stellar season. Forwards Nolan Winter and Steven Crowl lead the team in rebounds and have been excellent shooters this season. Crowl recently had a 20-point performance against Illinois where he shot 100% from three and picked up seven rebounds.
Guard Max Klesmit seems to have finally found his footing after a rocky start to the season. The senior currently leads the team in steals and assists per game and has shot 42.5% from the field over his last five games. If Klesmit can get hot down the stretch, it’ll take some of the offensive load off of Tonje and Blackwell and give the Badgers another dangerous shooter on the floor.
Another player that deserves a mention is Kamari McGee, a scrappy guard and one of the leaders in the locker room. McGee is an underrated asset on the offense, is efficient with his opportunities and has a noticeable presence on the court. He was ejected for a flagrant-two foul during the first half of last weekend’s game against Purdue, but his teammates rallied behind him and played with some extra motivation in the second half.
“We are gonna get this win for you,” Tonje told McGee at halftime.
The Badgers did just that. They outscored Purdue 58-47 in the second period, shooting 72% with zero turnovers. The camaraderie in this locker room is special, and it’s a group of players head coach Greg Gard should be extremely proud of.
Gard took over head coaching duties after longtime coach Bo Ryan retired midway through the 2015-16 season. Wisconsin hasn’t made it past the first weekend of March Madness since 2017, but it looks like Gard has finally assembled a squad capable of making a deep run in the tournament.
Gard’s philosophical shift on how to run the offense is one of the main reasons.
Historically, Wisconsin’s offense has been successful with its slow-tempo offense. Coach Bo Ryan’s 2014-15 team that made it to the National Championship was ranked 345th in tempo, but they still played with remarkable efficiency.
Wisconsin’s offense has since evolved into a modern scheme with a faster pace-of-play and more 3-point shots. The Badgers currently rank 189th in tempo and are 30th in the nation in 3-point attempts per game. They’ve also switched to a more balanced, fluid approach with lots of player movement to create more open looks. Wisconsin’s switch to the contemporary offensive style has proven to be incredibly successful.
Successful might be underselling it — this Badgers offense is a well-oiled machine. They rank eighth in the country in offensive efficiency, according to KenPom. They ranked 17th in this category last season, a huge improvement from 140th in 2023. In just two seasons, Wisconsin’s offense has transformed from a bottom-dweller in their conference to one of the nation’s elite.
Gard deserves a ton of credit. Many coaches are stingy and stick with their personal philosophy, even if it grows stale and predictable. Gard recognized the issue and completely revamped the offensive playstyle of his team, and now he and the Badgers are reaping the rewards.
Wisconsin basketball has been overlooked as a title contender for years due to its slow offense. Not anymore. Gard’s squad is firing on all cylinders, and the Badgers have a chance to take home the Big Ten crown. With the season winding to a close, they’ll need to finish strong and carry their momentum into the NCAA Tournament.
And if they keep playing like this, they’ll be a team no one wants to face in March.
