Badgers senior Nick Boyd's journey to Wisconsin has played out how he hoped

MADISON, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin will honor four seniors before Wednesday's home finale against Maryland, which perfectly encapsulates the new era of college athletics.

With the guests of honor being starters Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde, reserve guard Braeden Carrington, and scout-team contributor Isaac Gard, it will mark the first senior day celebration since the 2017-18 season that the Badgers won't be honoring a homegrown scholarship player.

One thing that hasn't changed is that each outgoing Badger has a unique story to tell. One came to Wisconsin to play against some of the best competition in the country, another came to prove himself to his doubters, a third came to finish his career at home, and the last one came to play for his dad.

Leading up to tip-off, we take a look at the Wisconsin senior class and their college journeys. Here, we look at the journey of Boyd, who has emerged as the heartbeat of Wisconsin’s roster.

Related: Guard Braeden Carrington, Guard Isaac Gard, Guard Andrew Rohde (coming Wednesday)

It shouldn't be surprising that Boyd took a diplomatic, calculated approach when deciding to go through the recruiting process one last time. Wanting to maximize the use of his COVID season, Boyd was looking for a program that fit all of his requirements: program stability, a solid roster, and a strong desire to win immediately.

It took some time, but it became obvious to Boyd that Wisconsin had all the pieces he was looking for firmly in place.

"I did my homework," he said. "I studied a bunch of different teams. On my visits, I wanted to meet the staff and get a feel for their personalities, see myself in these different places every single day, and be the best version of myself."

Boyd had accomplished a lot during his collegiate career. He is about to lead his third different program to the NCAA Tournament, a resume that includes taking eighth-seeded Florida Atlantic to the 2023 Final Four under the guidance of current Michigan head coach Dusty May. In his last season, he wanted one more chance to chase championships.

Boyd saw the Badgers had already established pieces in place in guard John Blackwell and center Nolan Winter, two players he could play off of and thrive around. The addition of other pieces in the portal enhanced that belief.

His premonition was accurate. Entering the final week of the regular season, Boyd and Blackwell are averaging over 18.0 ppg and earlier this season became the first Big Ten duo to both score 20+ points in two top-10 road games since at least 2004-05.

Following San Diego State's elimination from the NCAA Tournament First Four and his end-of-season meeting with the Aztecs staff, Boyd entered his name in the transfer portal with a "do not contact" designation. Instead of running college contacts through an agency, Boyd relied on his uncle Fred Hill, who has four decades of experience as a Division-1 head coach and assistant. Boyd settled on visits to Wisconsin, North Carolina, and finally Washington.

He called Wisconsin's recent success tangible, citing the program's appearance in the Big Ten Tournament championship game over the last two seasons and its finish in the top half of the conference eight times in the last 10 years.

The big selling point was that, unlike North Carolina and Washington, Wisconsin has had consistent leadership at the head coaching position that Boyd could buy into.

"The coaching staff has been there for years and years," he said. "Coach Gard has been in the program 20-plus years as an assistant coach and a head coach. That meant a lot to me in recruiting to have somebody who has been in the fire there. I know what I'm going to get from him in terms of his everyday approach. He is not someone who is on the hot seat. He's comfortable where he is at. He just wants to win, and that's what drew me to him.

"Coach hires from within, so that's another thing that spoke volumes. The fact that Wisconsin hasn't not necessarily had the best talent but had the best teams, that's something I wanted to look for in my final year. That's what you need in March, a bunch of guys who are willing to sacrifice whatever it is to win the championship."

UW coveted Boyd for his leadership and his consistency. He joined the program with 119 career games played (82 starts), seven NCAA Tournament game appearances, and had shot at least 40 percent from the field every year, including shooting better than 35 percent from three in three seasons.

He's either matched or surpassed those numbers this season. Shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 35 percent from three, Boyd ranks fourth in the Big Ten in scoring at 20.3 ppg. Having eclipsed 20 points in 18 of 29 games, Boyd looks to become the first Badgers since Michael Finley in 1995 to average 20.0 ppg.

He's been at his best against Wisconsin's toughest opponents, averaging 21.8 points in the Badgers' five games against top-10 teams.

Just as important to the Wisconsin staff, Boyd continues to grow and improve running the offense. After registering 48 assists and 28 turnovers through the first 15 games, Boyd had 67 assists to 21 turnovers in the last 14 games, improving his assist-to-turnover ratio from 1.7 to 3.2.

Against the three top-10 teams Wisconsin has played over that stretch, Boyd has 15 assists to one turnover.

"My teammates do a great job giving me the space and reinstiling that confidence with me, so my coach is putting me in a position to be great," Boyd said following UW's win at Washington. "I'm grateful for that, man, my coaches and my teammates. Even though the coaches and other coaches are plotting (to stop me), they allow it to still be effective. I'm grateful for them."