Badgers forward Nolan Winter showed signs of offensive growth in the opener
Wisconsin men's basketball forward Nolan Winter showcased his offensive growth, scoring inside and out in the season opener against Holy Cross.
Wisconsin men's basketball forward Nolan Winter put on an impressive offensive showing in the Badgers season opener, leading to an 85-61 win over the Holy Cross Crusaders at the Kohl Center.
The sophomore forward made the most of his 20 minutes on the court, scoring a career-high 15 points and grabbing eight rebounds in his first-ever start for the Badgers. Winter’s efficiency was on full display as he went a perfect 6-for-6 from the field, including two three-pointers, added two assists, and even recorded a blocked shot.
After transfer John Tonje and sophomore guard John Blackwell jump-started Wisconsin's offense in the second half, Winter took over, scoring all 15 of his points over a decisive stretch from the 17:31 mark to the final minutes at 2:03, helping secure the Badgers' win. Winter's ability to score both inside on the low block with some refined footwork and from beyond the arc offered a glimpse of how much he’s grown since last season.
“It was a little confidence booster,” Winter told reporters. “It’s a new season for me, and I’m going to play a little differently than I have in the past. Coaches have done a great job with me, and I thank them a lot for instilling the thought that I can have my back to the basket and working with coach [Jim] Snider in the weight room putting on weight.
"So yeah, that stretch was fun."
With veteran forward Tyler Wahl out of the frontcourt mix and without core players like Chucky Hepburn or A.J. Storr on the roster, Winter looks poised to step into a more significant offensive role for the Badgers.
Coming off a freshman season where Winter appeared in 36 games and averaged 2.4 points and 1.8 rebounds on 42.3% shooting from the floor, it surprised some that the Lakeville, Minnesota native went out and won the starting four spot over Northern Illinois transfer Xavier Amos. Amos felt like the ideal fit next to starting center Steven Crowl, but Winter's physical maturation forced Gard's hand into playing two bigs together.
"Last year Nolan couldn't guard fours," Gard said during an appearance on ESPN Milwaukee. "And he really wasn't physical enough to guard fives, so we played him there some; we were biding time, so to speak, just because of his not being ready for the physicality.
"I think the strength component and the weight component have helped both those positions. It's helped his mobility at the four and his ability to stay with mobile fours and switch ball screens. And then he's more physical and more aggressive, and quite frankly, the confidence that he'll get from playing at the four will help him at the five."
Yes, one has to acknowledge that it was just one game against Holy Cross, a team listed at No. 345 in the KenPom ranking. Still, Winter's path to becoming an impact player this season is indisputable — and an absolute must for Wisconsin to reach whatever this team's ceiling is.
Wisconsin has a solid read on the scoring abilities of Blackwell, Crowl, Tonje, and Max Klesmit. But if Winter can establish himself as a viable scoring option, it’ll create more one-on-one looks for the team’s primary playmakers, allowing them to attack and distribute more freely.
Adding Winter to the starting lineup, however, has created some questions that still need to be answered regarding who the backup frontcourt options will be for coach Gard. That could mean more Carter Gilmore, with a splash of Amos, or perhaps even Markus Ilver in certain situations. Nevertheless, Winter's progress made during the offseason while working with former Badgers big man Jared Berggren is apparent.
With his ability to operate in the post and shoot from deep, Winter gives head coach Gard another versatile threat on the floor. This season, Gard has two starting big men who are not afraid to step out and take shots from beyond the arc—a structure that could do wonders for spacing on offense if Winter and Crowl can develop solid on-court chemistry.
"He's seven feet and can move, block shots, shoots it really well, really skilled for that size. He's still a pup," Gard said of Winter. "He has some baby giraffe moments, but he's going to be a really good player. It may happen in November, it may happen in February, it may not happen until 2026. I don't know, but I like where he's going. He's got the right approach.
"I'm excited to see where he can go, and there's going to be ups and downs, there's going to be some bumps in the road for him, he's going to get his butt kicked a few times, but I like how he keeps jumping back up and sticking his face back in it."
The Wisconsin men's basketball team returns to the court on Nov. 7 to face the Montana State Grizzlies at 7 p.m. CT at the Kohl Center.
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Looking forward to honing in on Nolan!