Wisconsin Badgers
6-2,1-0Big Ten
Northwestern
5-3,0-1Big Ten
Badgers thwart Northwestern to open Big Ten action
December 03, 2025 | Men's Basketball
Bucky improves to 8-3 in Big Ten openers under Gard
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin men's basketball team cruised past Northwestern 85-73 to open Big Ten play on Wednesday at the Kohl Center.Â
Four Badgers (6-2, 1-0- Big Ten) scored in double-figures as John Blackwell led the way with 26 points. Wisconsin has now won seven of their last eight Big Ten openers, and have won the last five meetings against Northwestern
The junior notched his first double-double of the season, and third of his career, adding 11 rebounds. He finished 8-of-18 from the field, nailing five three-pointers, to boot. Blackwell scored his 1,000-career point in the game, becoming the 51st Badger to hit that mark in their UW tenure. He had 23 points in the first half, aiding Bucky's early 16-4 run that broke the contest open.Â
UW went into halftime up 55-32, the most points they've scored in a half this year. The high scoring was due in part to sufficient playmaking as the Badgers yielded zero first-half turnovers. It's the first half without a giveaway since the Feb. 15 matchup with Purdue last season.Â
Senior Andrew Rohde also tallied his 1,000-career point on the day, stemming from his time at St. Thomas and Virginia. The Brookfield native finished with three points on the day, and dished out nine assists – the most during his Badger career.Â
Nick Boyd had 20 points, the fifth time this year he's scored 20+ points in a game. The Badgers are 5-0 in those contests.Â
Nolan Winter and Austin Rapp rounded out UW's double-digit scorers. Winter had 12 points on an efficient 4-of-5 shooting, while Rapp added 13 with three three-pointers. True freshman Aleksas Bieliauskas made his first career start, recording six points and three rebounds.Â
Up Next: The Badgers step out of Big Ten play to take on Marquette on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Kohl Center. The game is sold out, but tickets are available through SeatGeek. Fans that can't make it to Madison can watch live on FS1 or listen to the action on the Badger Sports Network.Â
From the Court
UW Head Coach Greg Gard
On the team's performance
"The way we moved the ball [was key]. When you has 15 assists with 17 baskets, it doesn't get a whole lot better than that. We were really sharp and good in transition. When we did get in the half court, I thought we didn't over-dribble very much. We got the ball moving and obviously we played really efficiently."
Junior John Blackwell
On his strong night
"[I give] credit to my teammates just finding me in good spots. For me, personally, I was just taking better shots and to get good looks. [We were] 10-toes down with threes, and got fouled to get easy points for myself."
Senior Andrew Rohde
On his offensive balance
"I definitely was looking to be a little bit more aggressive off the ball screens. [I was] looking to find ways I can create and find open spots for my teammates... That's something that the coaches harp on every single day. Just because we're so talented offensively, as soon as we get that advantage, we can take charge of that."Â
