What stood out from Wisconsin basketball's 96-64 win over Campbell
Wisconsin men's basketball faced Campbell in its season opener. Here's what stood out from the Badgers’ win over the Fighting Camels.
Opening night finally arrived at the Kohl Center as Greg Gard and the No. 24 Wisconsin men’s basketball team tipped off the 2025–26 season against head coach John Andrzejek and the Campbell Fighting Camels.
The Badgers opened their season the way they usually do: with a win at home. It marked their 10th straight home-opening victory and 27th in the last 28 years, as coach Gard improved to a perfect 10–0 in home openers.
After leading by just five points with a little over 10 minutes to play, Wisconsin closed the game on a 31–4 run and cruised to a 96–64 victory in front of 13,695 fans. The Badgers forced 19 turnovers, turned them into 31 points, and locked in defensively down the stretch to hold the Fighting Camels scoreless from the field for the final 10:35 of regulation.
It wasn’t perfect, far from it. Early defensive lapses allowed Campbell to shoot nearly 60% from the floor in the first half, but the Badgers looked the part of a team that can find its rhythm fast once it settles in. The ball movement sharpened, the defense tightened, and the rotation gave a first real glimpse of what this retooled Wisconsin roster might become.
“Obviously, a lot that we’ll take from the game, both good and things that we have to get immensely better at,” Gard said. “But I was happy with how we closed specifically defensively there in the last seven or eight minutes to hold them to I think just four free throws.
“At times, we have water in our gas tank, meaning we sputter, then catch fire, and then we sputter. And that’s both ends of the court. We really show some good things defensively, and then we don’t. And the same thing offensively.”
Here’s what stood out from Wisconsin’s win over Campbell.
John Blackwell looked like a star
On the same day he was named to the preseason Naismith Trophy watch list, John Blackwell wasted no time reminding everyone why.
The junior guard poured in a game-high 31 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field, including 6-of-11 from deep, adding four rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 34 minutes to lead the Badgers’ second-half surge.
“I think mentally,” Blackwell said, reflecting on the most significant area of growth in his game. “Just staying locked in for the whole game and being more mature throughout the games. I think that’s the biggest jump for me. I’m young and I’m an upperclassman. So, mentally just being better every single day for myself and then definitely for my teammates and coaches.”
Blackwell looked every bit the part of Wisconsin’s next alpha scorer. He was confident off the bounce, decisive in transition, and commanding the offense when things bogged down. He scored from all three levels, knocking down shots from the perimeter, getting to his midrange spots with ease, and attacking the rim with purpose. Several trips to the free-throw line helped illustrate a complete and assertive performance.
It was the kind of showing that suggested Blackwell is ready not just to lead, but to take over a starring role and become a tone-setter for the Badgers.
“I think that the pre-draft experience was good for him,” Gard said. “It showed him how good he can be, and it also showed him he’s not good enough yet. He’s hungry. He’s very driven. He’s very humble. He’s put time in. He’s changed his body. He’s confident because he’s put in the work. He knows he’s a good player. Now it’s just go prove it and help lead our team.”
The starters did the heavy lifting
Blackwell may have been the headliner, pouring in 31 points, just one shy of his career high, but his supporting cast more than did its part.
Wisconsin’s starters carried the load, with four of the Badgers’ starters finishing the game in double figures. Nick Boyd, in his Badger debut, was terrific, scoring 21 points while going a perfect 7-for-7 at the line and adding four assists, three rebounds, and two steals. His 21 points marked the second-highest debut total by a Wisconsin player since 2000.
Meanwhile, Nolan Winter picked up right where he left off, recording his fourth career double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds, six of them offensive. The junior big man looked stronger and more assertive, going 8-of-12 from the field while showing off improved touch around the rim.
“For me, I think it’s more of a mentality than anything physically,” Winter said. “When I have that aggressive mentality of just attacking every ball, going to get everyone [rebound] I can, was a big thing for me. Knowing that was going to be a big part of my game, rebounding and limiting them to one shot. So, for me to go out there and execute a little bit, I’ve got to continue to do that for this team. But it’s more of a mentality thing.”
And don’t overlook Austin Rapp, who quietly impressed in his Wisconsin debut with 13 points, four assists, and two rebounds, shooting 2-of-4 from deep and 5-of-6 at the line. Rapp played under control, made smart reads, and showed why the staff expects a lot from him in this offense.
Andrew Rohde might not be a high-volume scorer on any given night, but the Brookfield native made his presence felt in other ways, finishing with five points, two rebounds, two assists, and three steals in 22 minutes.
Offensively, Wisconsin was efficient. The Badgers shot 50.7% from the field, hit 11-of-28 on 3-point attempts (39.3%), and made 17-of-19 free throws, and averaged 1.37 points per possession in a balanced attack.
“This group has continued to try to find out who they are, and it’ll be different guys on different nights,” Gard said. “There’s a lot of good things we’ll draw from it. How to close the first half isn’t one of them.”
One of the biggest questions surrounding this team is what the bench ultimately becomes, and how it all comes together. The group chipped in just nine points on the night, four of which came from Braden Carrington, who also added an assist and gave the Badgers a bit of a spark in his minutes.
Sixth man Jack Janicki knocked down a three, grabbed two rebounds (one offensive), and made his presence felt defensively with four forced steals in 17 minutes. But the frontcourt rotation of Aleksas Bieliauskas and Will Garlock remains unsettled. Garlock offered a little more on this particular night with two assists, a rebound, and a block.
Physically, Garlock looks ready to provide energy minutes off the bench, but Wisconsin will need more than flashes as the season unfolds. The starters carried the load in this one, as expected, but how that second unit develops might ultimately determine just how far this team can go.
Wisconsin found its edge defensively
The first 30 minutes of the season opener were frustrating at times. Campbell hit 23 of its first 40 shot attempts and hung around longer than expected. But once Wisconsin turned up the pressure, the game flipped.
Over the final 7 minutes and 32 seconds, the Badgers outscored Campbell 29–2 and held the Fighting Camels scoreless from the field after DJ Smith’s three-pointer with 10:35 left. Wisconsin forced five turnovers and clamped down defensively, suffocating every attempt at a late push. Their rotations tightened, closeouts sharpened, and the collective energy on the glass swung the momentum in their favor.
“Every time we get game reps and experience, it’s something we have to build on in a positive way,” Gard said. “Everything is a learning opportunity. At halftime, we talked about not letting the ball get to the rim. I mean, 13 of their 16 field goals were at the rim or in our paint.
“I thought in the second half we were a little better with that at times. Then, down the stretch, we adjusted some things. Instead of switching one through four, we stuck with our man, and that closed things up.”
The numbers backed up the eye test. For the game, Wisconsin held Campbell to 44.2% shooting overall and just 26.3% from three, allowing only 0.955 points per possession for the contest. But the second half told the real story — the Badgers limited Campbell to 28% from the floor, 11% from beyond the arc, and a minuscule 0.743 points per possession.
The closing stretch felt like a glimpse into what’s possible as this team continues to learn how to play together, communicate, and cover for one another defensively. The early breakdowns were because of too much straight-line penetration, late help rotations, and a lack of connection at times, all of which played a part in the Fighting Camels sticking around.
“Well, I think the first part is they all have to understand the hows and whys of how we play defensively — the rules that go into place, not only at the point of attack but also with ball pressure,” Gard explained. “That’s the first place to start. Even if we’re switching ball screens, that pressure has to stay consistent. Then it’s about rotations and that second line of defense — how we build in our insurance policy and our gap presence. I think they’re still learning. They know when they’re not in the gap, but by the time that they recognize it, the ball’s already gone by them.
“Our veterans, the guys who’ve been here, are usually in the right position more often than not. I catch Rohde in the right position more often than not, and the rest we’re still trying to get in the right position all the time.”
Campbell deserves credit for making tough shots early, but Wisconsin knows there’s still plenty of work to do defensively. Nevertheless, if that final stretch of the home opener was any indication, this team’s ceiling will rise fast once the connection and communication start to sync.
Wisconsin (1-0) returns to the court on Friday, November 7, for a matchup against Northern Illinois at the Kohl Center. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT, with coverage on the Big Ten Network.
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