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Biggest takeaways from No.24 Wisconsin Badgers' 86-55 victory over Ball State

Wisconsin Badgers put five players in double figures in a wire-to-wire win over Ball State
Benjamin Worgull|
Wisconsin forward Nolan Winter (31) hits a three-point basket s Ball State forward Mason Jones (24) defends during the second half of their game Tuesday, November 11, 2025 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin beat Ball State 86-55.
Wisconsin forward Nolan Winter (31) hits a three-point basket s Ball State forward Mason Jones (24) defends during the second half of their game Tuesday, November 11, 2025 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin beat Ball State 86-55. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

MADISON, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin is still trying to get its rhythm and timing down, not surprising considering the Badgers are trying to meld three returning rotation players with four transfers and two freshmen.

While there are still several things that need to be drilled, studied and corrected over the next 10 days before its biggest test of the season, the fact No.24 Wisconsin can put five players in double figures on a night where things weren't always pretty is a testament to the group's individual talent.

"Any given night somebody can go off," said senior Braeden Carrington, who had his highest point total for the Badgers (12) in Wisconsin's 86-55 win over Ball State on Tuesday night. "I mean, John (Blackwell 31), Nick (Boyd) 25, Nolan (Winter) is consistent 15-plus. We got guys on the bench who can do it anytime, too. It's fun."

Leading from start to finish, Wisconsin (3-0) put together a schedule that was mid-major heavy early to build team chemistry before ending November on a three-game West Coast swing that could see at least two top 25 opponents. The games have been good in spurts, generally with Wisconsin wearing down an overmatched opponent in the second half, but contests that show immense potential for a group that is still finding its rhythm.

"We have to enough to work on," head coach Greg Gard said. "I don't have to search for things. I don't have to call practice off early because I've run out of things to work on. We've got plenty to get better at."

Here are my takeaways from the Kohl Center

Winter continues to find his aggression

This was a matchup that a confident center would relish.

Ball State head coach Michael Lewis knew his team was going to be mismatched with how the UW guards can stretch the floor, the experience in its starting lineup, and the sheer size from the frontcourt. Nolan Winter epitomized that with a five-inch height advantage over the listed height of all the players in Ball State's rotation, and he took advantage.

Winter was active early. He rebounded his own miss for an easy lay-in on Wisconsin's first possession and found forward Austin Rapp for a layup on the fifth and the 12th. He drew four fouls largely due to his positioning in the post and his putback dunk in the second half, when he rushed the rim unchecked from the high block, was the highlight play of the evening.

The offensive rebound gave him 10 total for the game, giving him his second double-double of the season and sixth of his career.

After averaging 3.8 rebounds per game through his first two seasons, Winter is averaging 9.7 through three games in 2025-26.

"I am trying to get as many rebounds as I can for this team," Winter said. "As a 7-footer, it's kind of my job. Having that mentality that every ball is mine when its shot is my thing this year. That's what I am going to carry on for the whole season."

Winter and Gard have spoken previously about the desire to have the starting center develop a killer instinct and confidence like the one guard John Blackwell has displayed in early portions of the season. It's still early, and against smaller teams, but the groundwork for Winter is being set.

"There's still some plays where he can be more emphatic with and more aggressive," Gard said. "I'm complaining about a double-double, but I think he's got more in him. He's not anywhere near where he can be. That's the exciting part. You're getting great production, but the head coach wants more, and I know he wants more. He knows there's more in there to be even better."

First half had great moments and sloppy ones

Wisconsin leaned into its sheer size throughout the first three possessions, cleaning up misses for second-chance points. It was a theme on a night where the Badgers were plus-20 on the glass, had a 34-20 edge in points in the paint, and 15 second-chance points.

In the first 15 possessions, Wisconsin had scored on 12 possessions, didn't have a turnover, and had six assists on 11 field goals.

"The first 10 minutes the ball was moving, people were shooting with confidence, making that extra pass (trading) a good shot for a great shot," Winter said. "I think that's when our offense is at its best, when we're playing confidence and moving the ball ... Carrying that over for the full 40 minutes, we got something special there."

The last 10 minutes were the complete opposite. The Badgers had four turnovers in an eight- possession stretch that were mostly careless passes that started fast breaks. The shots went cold, too. Twelve of the Badgers' final 15 shots of the half were threes, including a run of seven straight attempts where they were 1-for-7.

"The basketball wasn't moving," Gard said. "That causes shots not to go in because you aren't taking the best shot you can get. We took good shots when we could have turned good ones down to get great ones and moved it a little more.

"Early we were really moving it and finding the open guy maybe as well as we have all year. Then we sputtered again. We overdribbled and didn't change sides floor enough. I'll break down shot quality but when you have a team that is built to shoot them, I am not going to micromanage unless it gets really egregious."

Wisconsin ended up shooting 23 three-pointers in the first half, the most perimeter attempts the Badgers have in a half in a game in which they won in school history.

Gard saw on tape that Ball State played scrappy and was going to give his players issues with driving lanes and punching balls loose off the dribble if players weren't strong with it. He was right, as both starting UW guards had three turnovers on a night when UW had a season-high 15 giveaways.

"It was simple turnovers, just them jumping into the passing game," senior Nick Boyd said. "Plays where we got lackadaisical, and they just took the ball."

The Badgers were still a little careless in the second half, having four turnovers in just over six minutes, but that got covered up with the offense making 16 of their first 19 shots after halftime.

Rohde helps quarterback a better defensive effort

Emboldened by the size advantage, Wisconsin delivered its best defensive effort of the season in holding Ball State to 55 points, 34.0 percent from the field, forcing 14 turnovers, and holding the Cardinals to .809 points per possession.

"The first couple of games, even dating back to the exhibition games, I feel like we were just out of place, not really knowing where we need be essentially," Carrington said. "We keep playing more and more games, our placement is what's most important. I think that's what's most important when it comes to defense is being at the right spot at the right time and making winning plays."

While he came to Wisconsin as a 41.3 percent three-point shooter last season, the place where Andrew Rohde has made his early mark is defensively. Playing essentially the same role as Max Klesmit did last year as a quarterback for the defense, Rohde's instincts have allowed him to be the right spot to make stops, as well as cover up mistakes from others.

Gard highlighted one segment where Rohde, Carrington, and Jack Janicki where they shut off constant dribble penetration to the rim despite a number of switches. Ball State was only 9-for-18 at shots near the rim.

"He knows how to guard," Gard said of Rohde, who was 4-for-7 for 10 points (his first double-digit game for UW. "He understands the team concept of it. He's got surprisingly quick hands. He can poke and knock balls loose ... When something goes wrong, I can hear him out there correcting what should be better and what should be done."

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Benjamin Worgull
BENJAMIN WORGULL

Benjamin Worgull has covered Wisconsin men's basketball since 2004, having previously written for Rivals, USA Today, 247sports, Fox Sports, the Associated Press, the Janesville Gazette, and the Wisconsin State Journal.

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