1. LAST TIME OUT

Wisconsin earned a come-from-behind, 85-61 win over Holy Cross on Monday. The Badgers faced a 16-point deficit early in the game, but outscored the crusaders 80-40 the rest of the way. Graduate transfer guard John Tonje scored 23 points in the contest, the most by any Badger in a debut since at least 2000. Additionally, he finished with five rebounds while going 3-for-6 from 3-point range.

The Badgers were also aided by sophomores John Blackwell and Nolan Winter. Winter shot 6-for-6 from the floor, all in the second half, finishing with a career high 15 points. Blackwell finished just two points shy of his career high, scoring 16 points for the game. It marked the first time since 2017 that three Badgers scored 15 or more points in the season opener.

Wisconsin had two major scoring runs, 18-2 in the first half and 16-0 in the second half. The Badgers also found an advantage on the glass, out-rebounding Holy Cross, 38-21, scoring 13 points off offensive rebounds.

2. DEBUTS AND MILESTONES

John Tonje wasn’t the only Badger who made his debut with the team. Transfer forward Xavier Amos scored his first points at Wisconsin, while also collecting four rebounds. Five freshmen made their debut in the game as well, which included Jack Janicki, Daniel Freitag, Jack Robinson, Riccardo Greppi, and Aidan Konop.

In addition to Nolan Winter’s career high in points, other Badgers reached new marks as well. Senior guard Kamari McGee played a career high 28 minutes during the game, dishing out four assists for the first time with UW. Junior guard Isaac Gard scored the first points of his career, hitting a 3-pointer. Jack Janicki made an impact in his first career game, playing 11 minutes and finishing with two assists.

3. PERFECTO

Wisconsin got to the free throw line and took advantage in its season opener, finishing 16-for-16 from the charity stripe. It marked UW's seventh game with a perfect percentage in program history (minimum of 12 attempts). It was the second most free throws in a UW game without a miss, coming short of a 1976 game in which UW went 22-for-22 at the line against Purdue. 

Tonje and Blackwell were the main contributors on Monday, as Tonje finished 8-for-8 from the free throw line and Blackwell went 4-for-4. Nolan Winter, Kamari McGee, and Carter Gilmore contributed to the total as well.

4. MONITORING MONTANA STATE

Wisconsin’s next game of the season comes against Montana State, marking the first meeting in program history. Montana State is coached by Matt Logie in his second season with the school. Thursday’s game serves as the season opener for Montana State after the Bobcats finished 17-18 overall last season. The Bobcats made an impressive postseason push last season, however, winning the Big Sky tournament and earning an appearance in an NCAA Tournament First Four game.

Montana State returns two of its three leading scorers from last season. Senior Brian Goracke, as well as junior Brandon Walker, who averaged 13.1 points in just 19.6 minutes per game.

5. DECADE OF GARD

Greg Gard enters his 10th season as head coach for the Badgers, joining a group of five head coaches with a decade of experience with Wisconsin. Gard has compiled a 187-107 (.636) overall record with the Badgers, which ranks fourth in total wins among all coaches in program history. Gard has led UW to two regular season conference championships. Wisconsin has made six appearances in the NCAA tournament, including last season.