Wisconsin forward flashes offensive potential in Badgers win over Holy Cross

Wisconsin forward flashes offensive potential in Badgers win over Holy Cross

Wisconsin sophomore forward Nolan Winter flashed his offensive brilliance in the Badgers’ 85-61 win over Holy Cross on Monday.

In just over 20 minutes, the second-year Badger registered a career-high 15 points and snared eight rebounds in the 24-point victory at the Kohl Center. Winter shot a perfect 6-6 from the field, including 2-2 from beyond the arc, and dished out a pair of assists as well.

All 15 of Winter’s points arrived in the second half of Monday’s season opener. After transfer John Tonje and sophomore John Blackwell revitalized Wisconsin’s offense to open the second half, Winter attacked for the final six minutes of the game.

The Lakeville, Minnesota native’s improvement from a season ago is obvious. Without veteran forward Tyler Wahl in the mix or volume scorer A.J. Storr taking shots, Winter’s opportunities to create will only increase as the season progresses.

Yes, it was Holy Cross. But the breakout potential is there. On several occasions, Winter displayed his ability to operate in the low post and from outside. Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard now has the luxury of two seven-footers who aren’t scared to shoot from deep in the starting lineup.

In 2023-24, Winter registered 2.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in roughly nine minutes per game. Those totals are all set to skyrocket in 2024-25.