Monday’s 94-69 win over Southern Illinois University (SIUE) gave Wisconsin their second straight 4-0 start. Despite an oddly close first half, in which the Cougars cut the lead to five with 3:19 remaining, the Badgers outscored SIUE 46-28 in the second to run away with another lopsided victory.
Each of Wisconsin’s victories have come by at least 25 points, which has helped move the Badgers to No. 23 in the AP Poll.
But these non-Power Four wins leave it tough to say how good Wisconsin really is. With Friday’s game against No. 9 BYU — a rematch from last season’s NCAA Tournament — looming, a deeper look at each players’ performance thus far may give some perspective going into a tougher stretch of the season.
Guards
Braedon Carrington
After two seasons with Minnesota and one at Tulsa, the senior guard has come along nicely in his bench role with the Badgers. Carrington is simply doing his job. He is not an elite player, but he does enough of the little things right to keep him on the court as a contributor.
Through four games, Carrington is averaging 6.5 points and has shot 50% from the field. Carrington’s 1-for-5 shooting performance against Northern Illinois left early question marks about his efficiency, but he turned into a microwave off the bench in the Ball State game, collecting 12 points and two momentum-swinging 3-pointers, along with intense perimeter defense. Carrington added two more 3-pointers against SIUE, scoring more than one-third of the team's 16 bench points.
Going forward, Carrington will continue to be the strongest scoring option off the bench. When Boyd and Blackwell can’t get it going, he has stepped up. We will see how Carrington fairs against tougher competition, but here’s no reason to believe he can’t succeed after two seasons in the Big Ten.
Grade: B-
Rationale: Leader of the bench
Nick Boyd
Boyd’s energy has truly been game changing so far. Whenever the Badgers seem to be falling behind, Boyd has taken it upon himself to push the pace and steal easy buckets when possible. Occasional out of control takes to the basket are head-scratching, but the good far outweighs the bad.
Boyd is the Badger’s leading scorer, averaging 20 points per game. His ability to get to the rack with ease is a pleasure to watch. Through the first three games, the 3s weren't falling. But after going 3-for-4 vs. SIUE, Boyd is now shooting 37.5% from deep. In his four previous seasons, Boyd was a career 37% three point shooter.
Defensively, Boyd overcommits on the perimeter frequently, which could hurt the Badgers in Big Ten play. However, as mentioned before, his energy and relentless effort leads to positive plays more often than not.
There’s a ton of room for improvement with Boyd, which makes his situation even more exciting. Hopefully his connection with Blackwell develops further. A true point guard makes JB even more dominant.
Grade: A-
Rationale: ENERGY
Jack Janicki
Playing in all 37 games last season, Janicki was expected to be a top player off the bench for the Badgers. He didn’t shoot well in 2024, but Janicki’s “glue guy” persona made him a fan favorite.
Unfortunately, the offensive leap hasn’t arrived yet. Janicki has missed numerous open threes (2-for-12 on the season) and went 1-for-7 from the field against Northern Illinois. Of course, the sophomore’s defensive presence is evident, totaling seven steals in his first two games.
Janicki can still provide positive minutes for this team. It starts with shooting, but as long as his ball-hawking defense stays up to par, Janicki will continue to get playing time, especially since giving Andrew Rohde a rest is vital.
Grade: C-
Rationale: Shooting woes
Andrew Rohde
While the Virginia transfer rarely fills up the stat sheet (7.8 PPG), Rohde’s importance to this team goes beyond the box score. On defense, he is more than willing to harass the opponent's ball handler each possession. Rohde has forced a near shot clock violation by himself numerous times.
Like Boyd, Rohde hasn’t shot well from beyond the arc (33%), but his success last season at UVA (41.3%) gives Wisconsin hope. Still, Rohde finds other ways to help the offense, not missing a shot inside the arc this season (5-5).
The only knock on Rohde is his aggressiveness on offense. If Rohde takes it upon himself to take more shots, opponents will be forced to pay more attention to him, which will force pressure off Boyd and Blackwell, possibly propelling the offense to new heights. It’s evident Rohde can do so.
Grade: B+
Rationale: Defense
Hayden Jones
Even as a freshman buried in Wisconsin’s deep bench, Jones has carved out a respectable role through four games. Of course, his play time may teeter as Big Ten play begins, but Jones getting minutes highlights head coach Greg Gard’s willingness to jumpstart his development.
Jones got to the free throw line eight times against Northern Illinois, making five. Other than that, and a garbage time bucket against SIUE, he hasn’t scored at all.
We can’t judge Jones too harshly based on his first four college basketball games, but with a 6-foot-7 frame, and a coach that believes in his future, Gard may have found a secret weapon from New Zealand for the future.
Grade: C+
Rationale: Potential
Issac Gard
He’s embracing his role as a deep-in-the-bench fan favorite, which is the best he can do. I’m not sure if the “we want Issac” chants during garbage time make him feel good, but Gard carries himself professionally. Thankfully, he’s not like Tom Izzo’s son.
Grade: N/A
John Blackwell
Other than an eight point game (2-from-6 from field) against Ball State, Blackwell has been incredible. He’s averaging 19.5 points per game, but what has been most impressive is Blackwell’s playmaking when he isn’t scoring. His four assists and three offensive rebounds against Ball State went overlooked.
Against SIUE, Blackwell went 5-for-6 from deep. Rarely does he take a bad shot, showing his maturity as a player. Even when Blackwell’s shot selection is iffy, it is necessary. It seems like every time the Badgers have a bad offensive possession, he bails them out with a corner three.
I would love to see Blackwell convert more inside, but he often gets fouled when driving to the basket. As a strong free throw shooter (87.5%), Badger fans really can’t complain if a large percentage of Blackwell’s points come from the stripe.
Friday’s rematch with BYU will give Blackwell an opportunity to get revenge on the team that knocked him out last season and prove he is Wisconsin’s star.
Grade: A
Rationale: Our savior
Forwards
Jack Robison
Other than the fact Robison has played in all four games, there isn’t much to say about the sophomore wing. He knocked down a 3-pointer late against Ball State, but hasn’t been given many opportunities to score, averaging just over two minutes per game.
Buried at the end of the bench, it feels unfair to give Robison any sort of grade. Assuming the team stays healthy, the trend will most likely continue.
Grade: N/A
Riccardo Greppi
Similar to Robison, Greppi rarely sees meaningful gametime. He took one shot in game one and hasn’t attempted a field goal since. We can’t dish out grades for Greppi either.
Grade: N/A
Austin Rapp
As the season progresses, fans are starting to understand why Rapp won the 2024-25 West Coast Conference Rookie of the Year award. He’s averaging a solid 11.8 points per game, but Rapp’s contributions in the passing game, as well as on defense, have been even more exciting.
Rapp had dished three assists or more in three different games, and he has had three or more blocks twice. Often, Rapp finds Aleksas Bieliauskas underneath, seeking out the mismatch for two. From deep, Rapp isn’t shooting well (31.8%), but at Portland, he led the WCC in 3-point percentage at 35.2%, so we must be patient.
If Rapp uses his size in the paint more often, it may take the burden off Winter a bit. After all, Rapp is 12-for-13 from the free throw line this year. However, Gard brought him in to shoot 3s, as 22-of-34 of Rapp’s shots have been from range. Given he jumped from the WCC to Big Ten competition, I’d say Rapp is exceeding expectations.
Grade: B+
Rationale: Court vision
Will Garlock
For playing just 11 minutes per game, Garlock has surprisingly been one of the most exciting players to watch in 2025. While going scoreless in three games, Garlock is tied for second in assists (11), trailing only Boyd.
Finding other ways to help Wisconsin win is going to get Garlock more minutes going forward. Like Rapp, Garlock recognizes mismatches, often finding Bieliauskas underneath. His height at 7-foot helps Garlock see over the defense and deny layups in the paint, as he did in the second half against SIUE. He doesn’t shoot 3s, but let’s hope Gard sees the true freshman’s value.
Grade: A
Rationale: Court vision…again
Nolan Winter
It’s early, but Winter has taken quite the leap early in his junior year. While Boyd averages more points, Winter has proven that he is the number two on this team, averaging 14.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. He’s also shooting over 60% from the field, an impressive number since he’s shooting a poor 25% from deep.
Stand out performances have come against Campbell (17 pts, 12 reb) and Ball State (19 pts, 10 reb). Winter is noticeably more physical in the paint, frequently getting ideal position when boxing out. The same goes for defense, rarely getting bodied off the block.
Winter needs to shoot better from three, but almost all his looks from deep have been open shots. We all know they’re going to fall eventually (35.8% in 2024), so once he finds his rhythm, the Badgers will soar to new heights. There’s no doubt about it.
Grade: A-
Rationale: Physicality
Aleksas Bieliauskas
Many didn’t know what to make of the 19-year old Lithuanian. Bieliauskas has carved out a major spot off the bench for Wisconsin. He only played seven minutes in the opener, but he’s played over 15 minutes per game since, averaging 7.3 points and 5.3 rebounds. Other than Carrington, he’s the only reserve who’s proven they can score.
At 6-foot-10 and 235 pounds, Bieliauskas plays much bigger than he actually weighs. He has a knack for getting leverage under the basket, whether he’s rebounding or posting up. Again, younger players may see less playing time against stronger teams, but I’m not sure Gard has the option to limit Bieliauskas. If anything, he may play him more. He’s truly promising.
Grade: A-
Rationale: Maturity
