WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. Va. (AP) — John Blackwell scored 17 points, John Tonje added 15 and No. 19 Wisconsin rode a hot start to an 86-70 victory over UCF in the Greenbrier Tip-Off on Friday night.

Kamari McGee added 14 points while Nolan Winter had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Badgers (6-0), who are off to their best start in six seasons.

Jordan Ivy-Curry led UCF (4-1) with 13 points, and Keyshawn Hall and Dior Johnson scored 11 apiece.

Both teams played for the first time outside of their respective campuses. The game was held inside a ballroom at The Greenbrier resort, which has hosted presidents and royalty.

Key moment

Wisconsin 7-footer Steven Crowl picked up his fourth foul seconds into the second half, and UCF trimmed a 22-point deficit to 13. But Winter made a hook shot in the lane and a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions, and Tonje followed with a fast-break layup to push Wisconsin's lead to 53-33. UCF got no closer than 15 after that.

Key stat

Wisconsin made 11 layups over the first 13 minutes of the game and eventually built a 42-20 lead. Tonje was mostly an observer early and didn't score his first basket until 12 minutes had passed.

Up next

Wisconsin plays Pittsburgh in the championship game on Sunday, while UCF faces LSU in the consolation game the same day.

Notable:

• The Badgers have now started the season 6-0 for the first time since opening the 2014-15 season with 7 straight wins. That team went on to reach the 2015 National Championship Game.
• UW has now won 8 of its last 9 non-conference November tournament games,going 3-0 in the 2021 Maui Invitational, 2-1 in the 2022 Battle 4 Atlantis and 2-0 in the 2023 Fort Myers Tip-Off.
• The Badgers have now scored at least 79 points in each of their first six games for the first time in program history. UW is averaging 87.8 ppg on the season.
• Wisconsin hit 10 threes in the win (10-for-31). UW has tallied 10+ 3FGs in 4-of-6 games this year. Wisconsin did so in 7-of-36 games last season.
• UW dished a season-high 21 assists, the team's most since posting 25 against Maryland in the 2024 Big Ten Tournament (3/14/24).
• John Tonje, Steven Crowl, Max Klesmit, John Blackwell, and Kamari McGee all finished the game with three or more assists. The last time Wisconsin had five players record 3+ assists was an 85-48 win vs. Louisville on 12/19/20.
• Senior Kamari McGee's 14 points are a new career-high with Wisconsin. He went 3-for-4 from the three point line, matching the highest three-point mark of his career.
• Sophomore Nolan Winter tallied his first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds (five offensive). Winter grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds and has now had 8+ rebounds in 3-of-6 games this season after entering the year with a career-high of seven boards.

Up Next:

The Badgers face Pitt in the championship game of the 2024 Greenbrier Tip-Off on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. (CT). The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.