1. LAST TIME OUT

Wisconsin put up one of the best offensive performances in Big Ten Conference history, taking down Iowa, 116-85. The Badger’s point total is the most ever scored at the Kohl Center, and the second most in program history. Wisconsin led at half time, 54-43, and got hotter as the game went on. The team outscored Iowa 62-42 in the second half, and scored 37 points in the last 10 minutes alone.

John Blackwell posted a career-high 32 points. Nolan Winter put up 18 points, his fourth straight game with 15+ points. Steven Crowl added 14 points without missing a shot. John Tonje and Kamari McGee each had 12 points while shooting a combined 6-for-8 from beyond the arc. It’s the third game of the season in which five Badgers put up double-figures. Last season produced four such games.

UW now has two 100+ scoring performances this season, the first time since 1995-96 it’ has accomplished that feat. Wisconsin put up a rarely-seen amount of points in conference play, the last time a team score 116 points in a Big Ten matchup was Iowa in February of 1995. 

2. HISTORY FOR JB

John Blackwell was on fire for the Badgers all night long. The sophomore scored a career-high 32 points while going 11-for-18 from the field. In addition, Blackwell collected eight rebounds and dished out five assists. Blackwell has put up five assists, his career-high, in his last three games, with just two turnovers in that stretch. He joins Ethan Happ and Jordan Taylor as the only Badgers in the last twenty years to record a game with 30+ points and five or more assists.

Blackwell’s scoring was aided by a torrid 3-point shooting performance, going 6-for-10 in the game. His six 3-pointers are a career-high, and he joins Max Klesmit as the only Badger to put up six 3s in one game this season. Wisconsin and Illinois are the only Big Ten teams with multiple players with six 3-pointers in a game. 

Blackwell joins Rutger’s Dylan Harper as the only Big Ten underclassman with multiple 30-point performances this season. Wisconsin as a team now has four 30-point performances between John Tonje and Blackwell – the most of any Big Ten team this season and the most for Wisconsin since at least 2004-05.

3. FROM WAY DOWNTOWN

In its offensive surge, Wisconsin went 21-for-31 from 3-point range. That not only beats Wisconsin’s previous record of 18 3-pointers set in January of 2020 against Nebraska, but it also sets a new record for the most 3-pointers made by any team in Big Ten history.

Nine players connected on a 3-point shot in the game, the most in any game in program history. Blackwell led the team with six makes, while Kamari McGee went 4-for-4 from deep in the second half alone. Additionally, junior Camren Hunter scored his first points with UW on a 3-pointer in the second half.

Wisconsin averages 9.6 3-pointers per contest, the third most of any Big Ten team. The Wisconsin record for highest 3-pointers made on average is 8.7 set by both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 teams. The Badgers also now have eight games with over 10 3-pointers made, beating last season’s total of seven.

4. SCARLET KNIGHT SCOUTING

Wisconsin travels on the road to face Rutgers in the two team’s only matchup against each other this season. Rutgers is 8-6 overall this season, sporting a 1-2 conference record. Its win comes in the form of an 80-76 victory over Penn State, while its loses were to Ohio State, 80-66, and most recently to Indiana, 84-74. 

Rutgers is coached by Steve Pikiell, who sports a 140-129 record with the team. In nine seasons with the team, Pikiell has led Rutgers to two NCAA Tournament appearances, qualifying in back-to-back years in 2020-21 and 2021-22. 

The Scarlet Knights boast one of the more formidable duos in the country, the two freshmen Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey. Harper leads the conference in scoring average with 22.8 points per game, with Bailey falling close behind at 19.9 points per game. The two of them are the first and second leading freshman scorers in the nation.

5. SERIES HISTORY

The Badgers own an 11-6 record against Rutgers, with three of those matchups occurring before Rutgers joined the Big Ten Conference in 2014. Wisconsin is 8-6 over the Scarlett Knights in Big Ten play. Rutgers leads the series 4-3 in games played in Piscataway.

UW split the season series with Rutgers last year. The Badgers fell in the road matchup, but rebounded later on with a 78-66 victory at home. 

Steven Crowl and John Blackwell each put in great performances the last time the two teams faced. Crowl secured a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Blackwell went 9-for-10 at the free throw line for 17 points.