The No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team lost to No. 8 Michigan State 62-71 in the Breslin Center on March 1. After the loss, many takeaways surfaced from Badgers fans, such as the poor 3-point shooting and rebounding issues.
Some fans are even questioning the team’s ability to make a run in March Madness. I’m here to reassure them that the future might be brighter than they think, and here is why.
The two best players on the floor were sophomores John Blackwell and Nolan Winter.
Blackwell led the team in points scoring 19 shooting 8-for-20 from the field, 1-for-7 from three and 2 for 2 from the line. Blackwell’s poor 3-point shooting in this game coincided with the Badgers’ overall performance from beyond the arc as the team shot a season-low five for 32 from the 3-point line (15.6%).
Nonetheless, this didn’t stop Blackwell from doing what he does best — attacking the rim with his good speed and athleticism. Blackwell also knocked down a couple of tough mid-range jumpers, which shows his ability to create his own shot off the dribble.
Blackwell also had to endorse a playmaking role in this game in the absence of senior guard Max Klesmit. His one assist didn’t reflect his decent playmaking as he had one or two dump-offs that his teammates missed in the paint. However, having Kamari McGee on the floor as a true point guard unlocks Blackwell’s slashing ability that he is best at.
The Badgers today couldn’t count on their main offensive weapon John Tonje, who had 11 points going 3-13 from the field and 1 for 8 from the 3, Blackwell’s performance wasn’t enough for the Badgers to pull out a win. Altogether this was a solid performance by Blackwell, but if the sophomore can improve his 3-point shooting, the sky's the ceiling.
Winter’s 17 boards against Michigan State stood out amidst other statistics, marking the most by a Badger since Alando Tucker’s 18 against UNLV in 2002.
But Winter struggled to get it going on the offensive side of the ball this game, scoring nine points on low efficiency. Winter has also shown some improvement on the defensive side of the ball, being able to guard the opposing team’s big man.
What makes Winter’s ceiling so high is his offensive palette. Winter has showcased his ability to shoot from 3 well, which fits perfectly in head coach Greg Gard and Kirk Peney’s offensive scheme as they want bigs that can shoot. The 7-foot forward is also really good at the rim and his athleticism has impressed Badger fans with impressive dunks.
Winter is averaging 9.8 points (56.9 FG%, 37.0 3PT % and 75 FT%), 5.7 rebounds and one assist a game. Winter went from a solid rotational piece as a freshman (averaging 9.4 minutes a game) to a starter (21.7 minutes a game and has started in all 28 games).
Blackwell and Winter were both part of Wisconsin’s 2023 recruiting class. Blackwell was a 3-star recruit from Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He was ranked the third-highest recruit in Michigan, but Wisconsin was his only Power 5 offer. Blackwell averaged eight points (44.6 FG%, 45.5 3P% and 82.1 FT%) and 3.2 rebounds in 18.5 minutes per game last season. Off the bench, he became a part of a solid backcourt made up of Chucky Hepburn and Klesmit.
Nolan Winter was a 3-star recruit from Lakeville North High School in Lakeville, Minnesota. He had offers from programs such as Minnesota, Stanford and Wake Forest, but ultimately chose Wisconsin.
It’s fair to say Gard hit on two under-the-radar prospects in Blackwell and Winter as both were outside of the top 150 recruits in that class.
It seems the Badgers are working on retaining both Blackwell and Winter from other top-tier programs, according to a statement from Gard on “The Swing” podcast.
At the end of this season, Wisconsin will lose three of their five starters due to eligibility. Gard and his staff will have to be able to count on Blackwell and Winter’s skills on and off the court as they will have to endorse new roles as leaders. Blackwell and Winter will have to be the voice of that dressing room, which I’m sure they can do after playing with vocal leaders such as McGee andKlesmit and more over the past two seasons.
Blackwell and Winter will have two years of eligibility remaining after this year, if they can have a leap next season similar to the one they had going from freshmen to sophomores they could be attracting eyes from the NBA scouts. Gard has two players he can count on for next season and he needs to build around them whether it’s through the transfer portal or from recruiting.
