Stock up, stock down for Wisconsin men's basketball after loss to BYU
Wisconsin men’s basketball dropped to 4-1 with a loss to No. 9 BYU. Here’s the full stock report on who’s trending up, who’s falling, and what it all means.
The No. 23 Wisconsin men’s basketball team (4-1) fell short in its first real test of the season against a Power Conference opponent.
A trip to Salt Lake City against No. 9 BYU was always going to peel back the layers on what this Badgers team really is right now. Four comfortable wins over mid-majors gave them a chance to build chemistry, but the first high-major punch they took landed flush. The 98–70 loss wasn’t about one cold shooting night or one matchup disadvantage.
BYU’s offensive numbers help paint the picture. The Cougars shot 48% from the field and 41% from downtown. Richie Saunders powered the attack with 26 points on 10-for-16 shooting, including 5-of-9 from deep. Meanwhile, highly touted freshman A.J. Dybantsa added 18, as the Cougars’ balance, pace, and physicality overwhelmed Wisconsin.
It was a reminder of how far Wisconsin has to climb if it wants to compete with teams that look the part physically and stylistically from the opening tip.
Defensive breakdowns, foul trouble, transition miscues, and a 3-point line that suddenly went ice-cold all piled up, and BYU took advantage of every crack. The Cougars’ high-powered offense put up 1.38 points per possession, consistently got downhill, and dictated tempo from start to finish. Wisconsin, meanwhile, never found its rhythm.
The Badgers struggled to keep up offensively, finishing just 38% from the field and 24% from beyond the arc on 29 attempts. Nick Boyd led the way, scoring 16 points. Beyond that, the starters had a long night: John Blackwell shot 3-for-13 and finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, Austin Rapp didn’t make a shot from the field, Andrew Rohde added five points, and Nolan Winter posted a 14-point, 14-rebound double-double.
That’s why this game matters. Not because it defines who Wisconsin is going to be, but because it exposes the exact areas that Greg Gard and his staff must address if this group wants to grow into something more than a team that wins a lot of games beating who it should, but falls short of their ceiling.
With that context in mind, here’s whose stock is rising and falling after Wisconsin’s loss to BYU.
📈 Stock up: Braeden Carrington
If you’re looking for one bright spot off the bench, it was Braeden Carrington.
In 18 minutes, he put up 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting and knocked down 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, adding two rebounds and an assist.
This is exactly the kind of performance Wisconsin hoped they were getting when they brought him in — a veteran wing who can be reliable, bring some toughness, and give this offense another shooting threat when the starters sit.
But through the first few games, he’s done more than just settle into a role. He’s exceeded expectations. Carrington is playing more assertively on offense than I anticipated, hunting good shots, keeping possessions alive, and giving Wisconsin’s bench a reliable scoring punch when they desperately need one. He’s also a solid defender with good size, which is why it suddenly feels like there may be some real competition brewing for wing minutes if he can maintain his production.
The 6-foot-5 wing has appeared in all five games this season and is averaging 8.0 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game while shooting 52% from the field and 50% from three.
This bench needed someone to provide offense, and Carrington is stepping right into that role. Stock up — and trending in a really encouraging direction.
📉 Stock down: Austin Rapp
This stock down isn’t about causing panic. It’s just about acknowledging what happened.
In 27 minutes, Austin Rapp went 0-for-7 from the field and 0-of-5 from deep, scored two points, didn’t record a single rebound, and turned it over twice. Jumping from Portland to the Big Ten was never going to be a small task, and one bad game isn’t a referendum on his long-term value. But this was the first real test against high-major length and physicality, and it didn’t go well.
The part that stands out isn’t even the missed shots — the looks were mostly fine. It’s when the scoring wasn’t there that Rapp didn’t impact the game in other areas. Wisconsin’s frontcourt has some big-picture questions, and they’ll need him to be more than a floor spacer when the shots aren’t falling. He’s been a terrific passer this season, but you’d like to see more growth as a rebounder.
The Australian native is averaging 9.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game, while posting an 11-to-4 assist-to-turnover ratio through five games. He’s shooting 34.1% from the field and 25.9% from three, numbers that will need to level out as this group continues to develop its rhythm offensively.
Long term, I think he settles in and becomes a highly productive piece. But on this night? Stock down.
📈 Stock up: Nolan Winter
Even on a night when his jumper wasn’t falling, Nolan Winter still looked like one of the foundational pieces of this team.
He finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds (five offensive), a steal, and a block while shooting 5-of-11 from the floor. Yes, he went 0-for-4 from deep, and yes, the early-season 3-point numbers are concerning at 18.8%. But this game was a validation of everything else that has taken a leap.
Winter has made it his mission to rebound at a high level, and he’s delivering. Against a BYU frontcourt with legitimate size, he attacked the glass with force. That growth matters because Wisconsin needs him to play more like a true center at times, and he continues to rise to that challenge.
On the season, the 7-footer out of Lakeville North High School is averaging 14.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game, and has three double-doubles in five games.
What makes this stock up is the consistency. Even when the shot isn’t there, Winter’s becoming a net positive by impacting the game elsewhere. He’s still scratching the surface of how good he can be, and the rebounding leap alone has raised his floor.
Stock up: because the jump is real, and it’s just a matter of time until the other pieces fall into place.
📉 Stock down: Hayden Jones
This one is harsh on paper and probably unfair, but it reflects the reality this game showed us.
Freshman guard Hayden Jones played just two minutes and didn’t look comfortable in them. He turned the ball over, looked a little sped up, and didn’t see the floor again in the second half. That happens to freshmen in this kind of environment. Most first-year guards get wide-eyed the first time they face a top-25 opponent.
Jones has shown some really encouraging moments early in the year. He’s handled ball-screen action well, he’s shown good size and confidence getting downhill, and he’s been solid when the game is moving more slowly. But this matchup exposed how steep that learning curve can be.
As Wisconsin continues to tighten up the rotation, these are the types of minutes that determine the pecking order. Jones still has long-term upside, and I still think he helps them this season, but this serves as a reminder of the adjustment ahead.
Stock down for now, but the arrow still points up long-term.
What’s next:
Wisconsin men’s basketball will head west for the Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego. The Badgers open the event against Providence on Thursday, Nov. 27, at 4:30 p.m. CT on FS1, then return to the floor Friday, Nov. 28, to face either No. 10 Florida or TCU.
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Against SIEU, the Badgers used a 1-3-1 zone for one defensive possession --- and it resulted in a steal for the Badgers. Did the Badgers use a zone at all against BYU? If so, was it as bad as their man-to-man defense?