The Wisconsin Badgers (2-0) look to build off their first two wins, as they host the Ball State Cardinals (2-0) Tuesday at the Kohl Center.
Ball State, located in Muncie, Indiana, is led by head coach Michael Lewis, who has coached the Cardinals since 2022.
Ball State enters the game 2-0. The Cardinals beat the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns 75-64 and Mansfield 84-54. In those two wins, 6’4” junior guard Armoni Zeiglar averaged 16.5 points, six rebounds and three steals. The guard is a paint slasher, who shies away from the three point shot. Alongside his three steals per game, he’s had ball handling troubles as well, with three turnovers per game.
Another key component behind the Cardinals’ wins is 6’2” sophomore guard Davion Hill. Hill averages 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists per game. 6’7" veteran senior Cam Denson displays consistency as Ball State's forward, averaging 12 points, 4.5 rebounds, and two blocks per game while shooting an eye-popping 66.7% from the floor.
As for Wisconsin, all eyes were on Nick Boyd in game two against Northern Illinois. Boyd posted a career high 25 points, shooting 50% from the floor. Boyd was in full command of his game, taking defenders off the dribble and attacking the rim. Boyd also shot 3-for-8 from 3. Boyd is averaging 23 points per game so far this season. John Blackwell is also averaging 23 points, alongside five rebounds.
Against Northern Illinois, Blackwell put up 15 points and six rebounds. Blackwell played a mature game, feeding the ball to Boyd and understanding who had the hot hand. Blackwell attacked the basket when necessary but primarily played off the ball, making smart decisions.
Freshman forward Will Garlock put up his first official points of the season against Northern Illinois, posting five points. Garlock's role on the team is shaping out to be the backup center. Head coach Greg Gard has also been playing the other freshman forward, Aleksas Bieliauskas, off the bench. Bieliauskas scored eight points against the Huskies.
Another key player to look out for in this game could be Nolan Winter, who has averaged a near double-double of 14.5 points and 9.5 rebounds through the first two games, and like Rapp, is looking for his first true breakout game.
After a relatively hot pre-season, Austin Rapp’s scoring has cooled down through the first two games. The sophomore scored eight points against Northern Illinois and 13 against Campbell. His breakout game is yet to occur, but could very well happen in these next two games. As he gets more gametime exposure to this Badgers offense, it's only a matter of time before he settles in.
The Badgers will look to continue dominating in game three. If the dangerous backcourt of Boyd and Blackwell play their game, and if Rapp performs like he did in the pre-season, this could be another blowout win.
