In their season opener, Wisconsin secured a commanding win, beating the Campbell Fighting Camels 96-64 at the Kohl Center.
While all eyes were on junior guard John Blackwell, who scored 31 points and hit five threes, Blackwell’s co-star, junior forward Nolan Winter was also instrumental in securing the win and extending Wisconsin’s home opener record to 10-0 under head coach Greg Gard.
Winter’s stat line speaks for itself, tallying 17 points and 12 rebounds, posting the Badgers’ only double-double.
Winter showed he has the capability to fill the role of the Badgers former big man, Steven Crowl.
Against Campebell, he got himself in the right place to make big plays and help the Badgers turn around a sloppy first half. His ability to rebound and make crucial plays when necessary helped theBadgers make a big second half run to close out the game.
The tides started to turn when guard John Blackwell dumped it off to Winter on a fast break, ending in a Winter slam. The play ignited the crowd, and helped the Badgers find a new gear for the rest of the game.
With his commanding height, Winter effectively controlled the boards, providing a strong rebounding presence when others struggled to secure possessions.
“It’s more of a mentality than anything.” Winter said in the postgame press conference. He said he knew rebounding was going to be a big thing for him this season and was a focus in the offseason.
Gard also believes in Nolan Winter and his capabilities on the court.
“It’s a mindset. I want him to have the same mindset Blackwell’s had,” Gard said.
While it is only game one, Winter has a lot of potential to be an exceptional contributor to this Badger squad, one that desperately needs him to fill Crowl’s shoes if they are to make a deep run this year.
