3 thoughts on Wisconsin basketball's 85-82 Big Ten Tournament win over Washington
Wisconsin beats Washington 85-82 in the Big Ten Tournament as John Blackwell and Nick Boyd power the Badgers into the Quarterfinals.
The postseason rarely unfolds exactly the way you draw it up, and for the Wisconsin men’s basketball team, Thursday served as a reminder of that.
After earning a double bye in the Big Ten Tournament, Wisconsin opened its postseason run with an 85–82 win over the Washington Huskies. The Badgers did plenty of things right offensively, knocking down 15 3-pointers, taking care of the ball (six turnovers), and generating enough scoring (1.328 PPP) to stay in control for the entire game.
But it wasn’t comfortable.
Washington made a late push, turning what once looked like a manageable game into a tense finish. Wisconsin also struggled on the glass, getting out-rebounded in a major way and allowing the Huskies to hang around longer than the Badgers would have liked.
“You have to give Washington credit for making a comeback and pushing us to the limit,” Gard said postgame. “I thought [Hannes] Steinbach was terrific, just like he was in our first game. We got a little loose with the ball at times and a little loose defensively, which gave him some confidence. That really started at the beginning of the second half.
“But we were able to respond. JB hit a big shot, and [Andrew] Rohde knocked down two free throws to put us back up three. We’ll learn from it. I’ll go back and look through the tape, but we’ve got to quickly turn the page and get ready for tomorrow. That’s what this time of year is about — finding a way to get to the next one. And that’s what we’ll do.”
Here are a few thoughts from the Badgers’ narrow win over Washington.
1. Boyd and Blackwell were at it again
If Wisconsin is going to make noise in March, it’s going to start with its backcourt. And against Washington, the duo delivered once again.
Junior guard John Blackwell turned in an impressive performance, setting a new Wisconsin program record for points in a single Big Ten Tournament game. Blackwell finished with 34 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 14-of-24 from the field and 6-of-12 from 3-point range while carrying a significant offensive load.
“You get to this time of year and guard play is essential,” Gard said. “I’ve got two of the best in the country. With him [Blackwell], you can tell when he has that look in his eye — and I can tell the other way too when he doesn’t have the look in his eye. I thought his teammates did a really good job finding him.”
Right alongside him, Nick Boyd continued his own standout season. Boyd added 23 points, nine assists, and three rebounds, shooting 8-of-15 from the field and 5-of-6 from beyond the arc.
It’s a formula Wisconsin fans have seen consistently throughout the season. The Badgers’ backcourt has the ability to score in bunches, often taking turns as the primary offensive engine depending on the night. When Boyd and Blackwell are operating at that level, the rest of the offense tends to fall into place.
That dynamic becomes even more important with Nolan Winter still sidelined in the frontcourt. Without their most reliable interior presence, Wisconsin has leaned even more heavily on its guards to create offense and control the flow of the game.
Against Washington, they delivered again.
Blackwell and Boyd combined for 57 points while playing 37 and 36 minutes, respectively, doing so with impressive efficiency and helping carry Wisconsin across the finish line in a game that got too close for comfort late.
2. Wisconsin gave up ground inside
While Wisconsin’s backcourt carried the offense, the Badgers gave up a lot in the interior battles.
Washington finished the game out-rebounding Wisconsin 45–29, outscoring the Badgers in the paint 40–24, and attempting nearly twice as many free throws (15 to 8). Those numbers paint a pretty clear picture of where the Huskies had their success.
“I thought we got too loose and a little lazy at times,” Gard said. “You wonder if maybe people were looking ahead to tomorrow or felt like this one was wrapped up. I don’t think so, but you’ve got to give them credit, too. They’ve battled through a lot.”
To Wisconsin’s credit, they still found a way to survive despite those margins. Freshman forward Aleksas Bieliauskas provided some needed activity on the glass, finishing with eight points and nine rebounds, including six offensive boards, which helped generate extra possessions.
But outside of Bieliauskas — and Blackwell pitching in from the guard spot — the Badgers didn’t get much production on the glass. Austin Rapp, in particular, was relatively quiet in that department, and Wisconsin never really established a consistent team rebounding presence.
The other piece that stood out was the lack of rim pressure.
It’s easy to overlook when the threes are falling — and Wisconsin knocked down 15 of them — but no Badger attempted more than two free throws in the game. For a team that already leans heavily on perimeter shooting, that’s something that absolutely needs to improve moving forward.
Wisconsin has embraced the reality that it will live and die by the three at times. But continuing to put pressure on the rim, force fouls, and generate free throws has to remain part of the formula. Against Washington, that lack of aggression showed up in a few different areas, and it’s something the Badgers will need to clean up quickly with a quick turnaround ahead.
3. Badgers need more from the supporting cast
This might be a little nitpicky after a win, but it’s still worth pointing out.
Without Winter, who has been Wisconsin’s most consistent third scoring option throughout the season, the Badgers didn’t get a ton of production from the supporting cast against the Huskies. That put an enormous burden on the backcourt to carry the offense.
Braeden Carrington finished with nine points off the bench, but it came on 3-of-13 shooting, including 2-of-10 from three-point range. Andrew Rohde added just two points in 27 minutes, while Austin Rapp knocked down one 3-pointer in 19 minutes without making much noise statistically.
To be fair, some of this is simply the reality of where Wisconsin is right now. The Badgers are working with a thinned-out rotation and are having to navigate matchups and minutes without Winter available in the frontcourt.
But the lack of production around Boyd and Blackwell also played a role in Wisconsin not being able to fully close the door late in the game.
The Badgers led by as many as 18 points, but Washington continued to chip away and eventually cut the deficit to one possession down the stretch. Over the final eight minutes, the Huskies outscored Wisconsin 23–10, applying pressure that the Badgers struggled to consistently fight off.
Ultimately, Wisconsin did enough to advance. But as the competition ramps up, the Badgers will likely need more from the pieces around their star backcourt to avoid putting themselves in that kind of position again.
Still, survive and advance is the name of the game this time of year. Wisconsin moves on and will face Illinois tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, with the game set to air on BTN.
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Not gonna lie, this game was second-half UNCOMFORTABLE. Glad no one was around to hear my "venting." Those two Rhode free throws in the last seconds...phewwww. Lived to fight again on .......ewwww....Friday the 9+4. 😬