Tag: John Blackwell

Wisconsin basketball enters AP Poll top 25 after big win over Arizona

Wisconsin basketball enters AP Poll top 25 after big win over Arizona

Wisconsin basketball landed at No. 19 in the latest AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll on Monday.

After being placed in the ‘receiving votes’ section of last week’s poll, Wisconsin received 370 points in this week’s update to firmly cement itself in the hierarchy.

The team’s signature win against the Arizona Wildcats played a pivotal role in its new position. In that game, wing John Tonje dropped 41 points on eight made field goals and a record 21 made free throws.

Wisconsin has now entered the upper echelon of Big Ten programs across the college basketball landscape. Only No. 6 Purdue and No. 16 Indiana ranked higher than Greg Gard’s program on this installation of the hierarchy.

Wisconsin also rocketed up the latest KenPom ranking and ESPN’s latest BPI. After being ranked No. 40 in the KenPom list on Nov. 12, UW moved up 11 spots to No. 29. At No. 22 in the ESPN BPI, the Badgers are up seven spots from about a week ago.

Backed by the strong individual contributions from Tonje, UW is averaging nearly 89 points per game off 47.4% from the field, 39% from beyond the arc and a blistering 90% from the free throw line. It’s safe to say Wisconsin has answered any offensive questions from those concerned over its offseason loses in the transfer portal.

Wisconsin’s next game is at home against UT Rio Grande Valley on Nov. 18.

Wisconsin basketball ‘receiving votes’ in first AP Poll update

Wisconsin basketball ‘receiving votes’ in first AP Poll update

Wisconsin basketball received six votes in the latest AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll on Monday.

Despite amassing a 3-0 start to the 2024-25 season, Wisconsin didn’t experience much of a shift from its position in the AP Top 25 poll from Oct. 14. In that iteration of the hierarchy, Greg Gard’s program pocketed five votes ahead of the season.

Since then, Wisconsin has vanquished all of its early-season opponents by an average of 22.3 points per triumph. In his first season as a Badger, transfer wing John Tonje has spearheaded the offensive attack with 17.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

Senior guard Max Klesmit has followed with 16 points per game, and John Blackwell, Steven Crowl and Nolan Winter have chipped in with at least 10 points per contest as well.

As a team, Wisconsin is shooting a blistering 92.5% from the charity stripe and 37% from beyond the arc. Even though their adversaries aren’t anywhere near the AP’s top 25, Wisconsin has done exactly what its needed to do thus far.

In UW’s most recent win over Appalachian State, the Badgers orchestrated a 23-0 scoring spurt and saw five players score at least 10 points in the effort.

Wisconsin was also rated No. 40 in the latest KenPom ranking and No. 29 in ESPN’s latest BPI. The three wins have elevated them at least nine spots in both lists.

The Badgers return to the hardwood for a marquee matchup against No. 9 Arizona on Friday. A win against the touted Wildcats could catapult UW into the top 25 bubble.

RECAP: Wisconsin surges past Montana State in second game of 2024-25 season

RECAP: Wisconsin surges past Montana State in second game of 2024-25 season

This story was updated to add new information.

The Wisconsin Badgers secured a 79-67 win in their second game of the 2024-25 season over Montana State at the Kohl Center on Nov. 7.

After scoring just seven points in the season opener, senior guard Max Klesmit tied his career-high with 26 points off six made three-point field goals. Transfer guard John Tonje continued his strong start to his Badger career with 13 points, four rebounds and four assists, and sophomore guard John Blackwell notched 13 points, six rebounds and two steals in the win.

As he did in UW’s season opener and preseason exhibition, head coach Greg Gard went with Blackwell, Klesmit, Tonje, sophomore center Nolan Winter and senior center Steven Crowl in the starting unit.

Similar to what the Badgers did against Holy Cross, UW went back-and-forth for nearly the entire first half against the Bobcats. The two teams combined for six ties and 10 lead changes during the opening frame before Wisconsin went into intermission with a 39-33 edge.

At the half, Tonje netted eight free throws for 11 points, and Klesmit nailed three 3FG for 11 points himself.

Montana State opened the second half with a quick 3FG, but Wisconsin responded with a 10-2 run courtesy of a pair of Klesmit three-pointers and a Nolan Winter dunk to establish an 11-point lead with 17:03 to spare on the game clock.

Following an extended scoring drought, Klesmit and Blackwell continued to apply offensive pressure to push the Badgers ahead by 17 with just under 10 minutes to play. Montana State would eventually cut it to 10, but UW’s lead proved too vast to overcome.

As a team, Wisconsin shot over 45% from the field, 50% from outside and a perfect 20-21 from the charity stripe. On the season, UW is 36-37 from the charity stripe.

Wisconsin also out-rebounded Montana State 32-27 and scored 10 more points in the paint, but the story of the game revolved around the Badgers’ efficiency from the outside and ability to create from the foul line.

Tonje , who shot 8-8 at the foul line against Holy Cross, shot 8-9 from the charity stripe against the Bobcats. Tonje can score from all three levels on the hardwood and creates an instant matchup problem for any guard with his size and strength.

UW was also able to lean on its overall perimeter play as opposed to Winter and Crowl down low. Klesmit, Tonje and Blackwell combined for 52 of Wisconsin’s 79 points and canned 10 3FG as a trio.

UW will be back in action on Sunday, Nov. 10, against Appalachian State at the Kohl Center.

RECAP: Wisconsin basketball beats Holy Cross in season opener

RECAP: Wisconsin basketball beats Holy Cross in season opener

The Wisconsin Badgers opened their season with an 85-61 win over Holy Cross at the Kohl Center on Nov. 4.

In his Badger debut, transfer guard John Tonje captained scoring duties with 23 points and corralled five rebounds. Sophomore center Nolan Winter shot a perfect 6-6 from the field for 15 points and snared a game-high eight rebounds, and sophomore guard John Blackwell registered 16 points and four boards as well.

Wisconsin utilized the exact same starting lineup vs. Holy Cross as it did in its scrimmage against UW-River Falls:

G: John Blackwell

G: Max Klesmit

G: John Tonje (transfer)

F: Nolan Winter

C: Steven Crowl

While the final score suggests a wire-to-wire domination, UW’s first half output said otherwise. After veteran center Steven Crowl nailed his first 3FG of the season, Holy Cross wing Gabe Warren scored 11 points to push the Crusaders ahead 13-3 within the first four minutes.

He and forward Caleb Kenney would maintain the pressure to bring the Holy Cross edge to 23-7 at the 11:54-minute mark. Tonje and Blackwell would help UW regain control, however, as they combined for 20 first-half points at intermission.

After sparring with Holy Cross for the first stanza of the second half, the Badgers surged offensively. Tonje and Blackwell picked up right where they left off; the duo scored 14 of UW’s first 22 second half tallies to make it 59-46 Wisconsin with just under 10 minutes to spare.

From then on, Winter handled virtually all the scoring duties for the Badgers. The 7-footer shined with 13 points in the final six minutes and showcased his range with two 3FG.

As a team, Wisconsin shot 49.2% from the field, 35.5% from outside and a perfect 16-16 from the charity stripe. Wisconsin out-rebounded Holy Cross 38-21 and scored 18 more points in the paint.

With both Crowl and Winter down low, UW poses a challenging matchup for any team without size. Against Holy Cross, a team without a 7-footer on its 2024-25 roster, there’s no denying that the Badgers entered the game with a clear advantage,

Still, the story was the play from Tonje. A capable shooter and veteran presence in UW’s locker room, it appears as if head coach Greg Gard will lean on the former Missouri and Colorado State hooper to pick up some of the scoring slack after AJ Storr transferred to Kansas.

Guard Kamari McGee also looked sharp. In 27 minutes off the bench, the senior logged 7 points and four assists as the pilot of Wisconsin’s second unit.

Wisconsin now moves to 9-0 in season openers under Gard. The Badgers will be back in action on Thursday, Nov. 9, vs. Montana State at the Kohl Center.

Greg Gard compares mindset of Wisconsin sophomore wing to former Badgers star

Greg Gard compares mindset of Wisconsin sophomore to former Badger star

Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard praised sophomore wing John Blackwell during his media availability on Monday.

With just a few weeks until its 2024-25 slate commences, Wisconsin has returned to the hardwood for a series of preseason practices. It’s safe to say Gard has appreciated the outlook of his second-year 6-foot-4-inch playmaker.

Gard reportedly compared Blackwell’s mindset ahead of his sophomore campaign to that of former Wisconsin star Johnny Davis before his second year in Madison. Davis, who now represents the NBA’s Washington Wizards, earned the 2022 Big Ten Player of the Year nod after averaging 19.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per game as a sophomore.

Considering his seven-point per-game clip as a freshman, Davis’ jump was substantial. Suppose Blackwell can come anywhere close to emulating what the future lottery pick did during his second college season. In that case, the Badgers will unlock an entirely new dynamic ahead of this season.

Blackwell’s freshman season was one of the most notable in the program’s last decade. The Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, native averaged 8.0 points per game off 45.1% from the field, 45.% from outside and 82.1% from the charity stripe en route to Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week four times, a feat no Badger had achieved since Nigel Hayes in 2013-14.

The dynamic wing will play a much larger role in Gard’s system this season following the departures of Chucky Hepburn, AJ Storr and Tyler Wahl. The team will open the season against Holy Cross on Monday, Nov. 4.

Sights and sounds from Wisconsin Badgers at 2024 Big Ten Basketball media days

Sights and sounds from Wisconsin Badgers at 2024 Big Ten Basketball media days

Wisconsin basketball was well represented at the 2024 Big Ten Basketball media days on Thursday, Oct. 3.

Head coach Greg Gard, sophomore guard John Blackwell, senior center Steven Crowl and senior guard Max Klesmit made the trek to Chicago, Illinois to represent the Badgers this week.

The group participated in several hits for Big Ten Network, spanning from short social media videos to entertain badger faithful and panel discussions about the team this coming season.

While Blackwell, Gard and Klesmit were present at the Big Ten Network studio set, Blackwell fielded a question about Klesmit being the top trash talker on the 2024 team.

Here’s what he and Gard had to say:

UW’s representatives also participated in individual interviews and photo ops during their time in Chicago.

Before the media day appearance, Wisconsin was ranked No. 12 alongside   Nebraska by the Big Ten media on Wednesday. Given the departures of guard Chucky Hepburn, wing AJ Storr and veteran Tyler Wahl, Wisconsin finds itself in its typical preseason position: underrated.

The Badgers will kick-start its loaded 2024-25 schedule with an exhibition game against UW-River Falls on Oct. 30 and look to build off its 22-14 output and first-round loss in the 2024 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament a season ago.

Wisconsin men’s basketball releases 2024 non-conference schedule

Wisconsin men’s basketball releases 2024 non-conference schedule

The Wisconsin Badgers’ men’s basketball program released its 2024 non-conference schedule on Thursday.

Greg Gard’s group will open the season against Holy Cross on Nov. 4 at the Kohl Center. The Badgers will follow their first regular season match with four consecutive non-conference home contests in Madison.

Montana State (Nov. 7), Appalachian State (Nov. 10), Arizona (Nov. 15) and UT-Rio Grande Valley (Nov. 18) will each venture to Wisconsin in the opening month of the 2024 season.

The first-ever Greenbrier Tip-Off follows the local action shortly thereafter. Wisconsin will face UCF and either LSU or Pittsburgh on Nov. 22 and Nov. 24, respectively.

A quick Kohl Center tune-up vs. Chicago State on Nov. 30 follows before UW makes its way to Milwaukee for its annual I-94 rivalry game against Marquette on Dec. 7.

The final roadblock arrives during the recently announced Dec. 14 match against Butler at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, home of the Indiana Pacers. The Detroit Mercy Titans will also play Wisconsin at home on Dec. 22.

On top of the non-conference campaign, which figures to be one of the more challenging slates across the college basketball landscape, Wisconsin will also face a bevy on conference opponents in Madison and across the country.

UW will host 10 Big Ten opponents this season and travel to Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Rutgers and USC for road conference games.

Prior to the chaos, Wisconsin will play host to UW-River Falls in an exhibition on Oct. 30 at home.

Takeaways from Wisconsin’s stellar Big Ten Tournament win over Northwestern

What are your takeaways from Wisconsin’s big win over Northwestern?

Wisconsin basketball advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinal Friday afternoon with a decisive 70-61 win over the Northwestern Wildcats.

The Badgers continued the flash the form that led them to a blowout win over Maryland in the previous round, a form which the team has lacked since February began.

Related: Wisconsin social media all-in after Badgers big win over Northwestern

A.J. Storr led the Badgers with a dominant 30-point output, while center Steven Crowl seems to be finding his stroke at the right time — as he scored 19 points on 8/12 from the field and 3/5 from three-point range.

Wisconsin’s sudden excellence is terrific news as the Badgers enter the NCAA Tournament in search of their first Sweet 16 trip since 2016-17.

The news is obviously all positive after the clean win over Northwestern. Here are specific takeaways from the performance as the Badgers go on to face Purdue on Saturday afternoon:

Wisconsin basketball was ranked No. 6 in the country entering February for a reason. The team boasted one of the nation’s best offenses, a dynamic attack with versatile athletes and a solid complementary defense.

That team vanished in February and the first half of March. It’s safe to say it is now back after the last two performances.

Keep in mind: Wisconsin took care of Northwestern without Chucky Hepburn playing a minute. That’s an all-around performance, led by Storr’s dominance, without one of the team’s most important players touching the court.

Again, look out if the Badgers are truly back to their January ways.

A.J. Storr’s night ended with 30 points on 10/16 shooting, 3/5 from three-point range and six rebounds. He was the Badgers’ engine all afternoon, and provided a glimpse of shotmaking and offensive dominance that could propel a run in March.

Most Final Four teams have a go-to option when they need a bucket. Storr looks to be that player, it’s a question of the rest of the team rising to the occasion.

I don’t have stats on this, but it feels like Wisconsin wins every game that Steven Crowl shoots well from deep.

The team dominated Maryland Thursday when Crowl shot well, and it got the job done against Northwestern with the big man going 3/5 from deep.

Crowl’s versatility brings a needed dimension to the offense, especially as the team gets set to face opponents with good big men. His red-hot shooting is terrific news entering Saturday, and entering next week.

Adversity comes in the form of a 3-8 skid through six weeks of basketball, which the Badgers seem to now be out of. It also comes in the form of Chucky Hepburn being a late scratch, and the team not missing a beat once the game begins.

Hepburn was ‘ready to play if needed.’ But he wasn’t needed, because the rest of the team all rose to the occasion. This is the adversity that teams must battle through if a Final Four run is possible.

More terrific news: the loud Greg Gard detractors on social media are all quiet after a second straight terrific performance.

Those detractors should stay quiet indefinitely if the Badgers make an Elite Eight or Final Four run, which is even more of a reason to root for it.

After a breakout performance against Maryland, Blackwell shot only 1/8 this afternoon for three points. But he still played terrific defense on Northwestern star Boo Buie, plus added three rebounds, two assists and two steals.

That, and he still had the confidence to pull this deep three despite his struggles on the day:

Look out for Blackwell turning into a star as March Madness begins.

Who knew Kamari McGee was one of the more important players on this Badgers team. It feels like the team has turned a corner since he returned from injury against Rutgers.

McGee finished this contest with four points in 23 minutes, but also three rebounds, an assist and a huge block. He’s the perfect backup point guard to have, and will be a valuable depth piece for whatever run the Badgers can put together.

I’m usually hesitant to buy into teams in the postseason, but these last two games have been direct flashbacks of the dominance we saw in December and January. For that reason, I’m back in on the Badgers being a dark horse Elite Eight or Final Four contender.

Greg Gard has big-game tournament experience, Storr is the go-to scorer the team needs, Hepburn is the perfect floor general and (hopefully) Crowl and Tyler Wahl are both on point for the big matchups.

There have been numerous Wisconsin teams to let fans down in the last decade, lets hope this isn’t also one of them.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

Wisconsin HC Greg Gard says Badgers played better than in first loss to Purdue

Agree with Greg Gard?

Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard isn’t ashamed of his team’s effort and resilience in Sunday’s 78-70 loss to No. 3 Purdue.

Speaking postgame, the Badgers head coach said his team played better in Sunday’s loss than it did in February’s 75-69 home loss to the Boilermakers.

“I thought we did a lot of good things,” Gard said. “But again, to come in here and win against this team, you have to make some shots to counter how they plug the paint and obviously with (Zach) Edey inside.”

Related: Wisconsin social media infuriated after Badgers crushing loss to Purdue

Wisconsin shot just 20% from 3 in Sunday’s loss, with five makes in 24 attempts. That was actually an improvement on the team’s shooting compared to the last time the two teams met — a 15.8% effort with three makes in 19 attempts.

Either way, Wisconsin showed impressive resilience in the second half. It cut a large deficit to four points late in the second half and was on the doorstep of a colossal upset win before Purdue pulled away.

The biggest positive was freshman guard John Blackwell, who scored 18 points on 7 of 10 shooting and 2 of 3 from 3. Blackwell is fully healthy and growing into a dangerous offensive threat.

It’s never good to lose. But given Wisconsin’s struggles over the last five weeks, this sign of life may be carry into postseason play.

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Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

Injury Report: Wisconsin getting significant contributor back for today’s game at Iowa

Great news for the Badgers entering this afternoon at Iowa:

Wisconsin breakout freshman guard John Blackwell is officially off the injury report and active for the Badgers’ contest at Iowa this afternoon.

Blackwell initially suffered a hip injury during Wisconsin’s loss to Purdue on February 4. He then played sparingly in the team’s loss to Michigan later that week before missing the last two contests entirely.

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His return is great news for Greg Gard’s team entering today’s contest and the rest of the Big Ten regular season. Blackwell is averaging 7.9 points and 3.2 rebounds on 45.8% shooting and 47.5% from three in only 17.5 average minutes of game action. He plays a pivotal role in the team’s guard rotation off the bench, something that has been further hurt by Kamari McGee’s absence.

While Blackwell will return this afternoon, Kamari McGee remains out indefinitely.

Wisconsin will take the court in Iowa City looking for its second-straight win, hoping to keep pace with Purdue and Illinois atop the conference race.

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Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.