Biggest Takeaways from Wisconsin Badgers' 69-53 win over UW-Platteville

MADISON, Wis. - A night where Wisconsin shoots 24 percent from the three-point line and 47.4 percent from the foul line is rarely viewed with exuberance or optimism.

Looking at the performance through the prism of new players still finding a connection and rhythm, there's nowhere to go but up with the non-conference season on the horizon.

"I think we have high confidence level in ourselves," said junior Nolan Winter, whose 17 points and 15 rebounds paced Wisconsin in a 69-53 victory over UW-Platteville. "I think we took a step defensively ... It's brick by brick every day, get a little bit better at certain spots. I like this squad a lot. We got a lot of firepower.

"Obviously tonight we didn't shoot it as well as I know that we can, but moving forward I know what we're capable of. I think we're going to be a lot of fun to watch."

There were plenty of warts from the Badgers' last exhibition game Wednesday night. Wisconsin's offense committed 15 turnovers and barely scratched out a point per possession (1.045). UW was also never heated up from the perimeter (6-for-25) and was simply bad from the foul line (9-for-19).

However, Wisconsin rightfully dominated the post against an undersized opponent with a 42-20 edge in points in the paint and 43-31 on the boards and responded when the Pioneers kept creeping closer in the second half, never giving up the lead.

"We got a long way to go," head coach Greg Gard said. "We got to continue to get better. Our ceiling is high and it should be for October. I hope we wouldn't be touching our head on the ceiling right now."

Here are the biggest takeaways from the Kohl Center:

Offense will take time to fully click

Synergy within a team always takes a little bit of time. Even with all the starting and playing experience Wisconsin added from the portal, the Badgers had seven new players competing against an unfamiliar opponent for only the second time.

It's part of the reason the Badgers open the season with four consecutive home games against mid-major opponents before getting into the meat of their schedule with seven straight power conference opponents, beginning November 21 against BYU in Salt Lake City.

Even so, Wisconsin had fundamental breakdowns throughout the night by playing too fast and dribbling into traffic, not playing off two feet, or not being strong with the ball through contact.

Of Wisconsin's first 25 possessions, the Badgers were 9-for-20 from the floor with three offensive rebounds and six turnovers. UW's first-half points per possession was only .939.

Gard said he scripted more offensive calls and sets than he did four days ago but felt the roster was too loose and not physical enough around the rim and through contact to make a bigger impact on the scoreboard.

"The attention to detail every single possession is a non-negotiable to be really, really good," Gard said.

The mistakes are all correctable, according to Gard, but the Badgers responded by being better defensively than they were in the opener.

Wisconsin allowed Oklahoma to shoot 51.8 percent from the floor and the Sooners didn't miss more than three straight shots until well into the second half. UW held the Pioneers to 2-for-13 from the floor over the final 9:15 to separate heading into the locker room.

"You're not going to shoot 18-for-25 from three every night," Gard said. "There's going to be 6-for-25 night. There might be a 3-for-25 night. If you defend and rebound and take care of the ball, that will give you a chance."

The offense flowed better in the second half at times, although the numbers don't reflect it, with Wisconsin going 1-for-10 from the perimeter. Even with its 10 percent shooting and nine turnovers, UW averaged 1.188 points per possession by getting the ball into high-percentage areas and finishing in the paint.

Getting a combined 31 points on 23 shots from Winter and Austin Rapp helps, especially when they were 10-for-11 from two-point range. It's a matter of finding what is working on a given night and exploit it.

"When we get the ball moving like that side to side, we're really hard to guard," senior Andrew Rohde said. "That was one of the things we focused on this week just for this game, moving the ball and getting open looks. We live with that result. If we're moving the ball, touching the paint, drive and kick, and getting open shots, we live with those."

Yessir 13

Andrew Rohde finds Hayden Jones for his first three of the night

Badgers trail 15-13 at the Under-12 media break

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— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) October 30, 2025

Carrington makes a spark

Senior guard Kamari McGee was a huge weapon in the arsenal last season, able to come off the bench and elevate the energy level on both ends of the floor with his defense, passing and, occasionally, his shooting.

That's why it made sense when Gard and his staff targeted Carrington out of the transfer portal in the spring, and easy to see how he is going to fit in to the roster.

With the offense lacking a punch, Carrington sparked the play late in the first half with four points, two assists, a steal, and an offensive rebound. His work helped UW close the half on an 18-5 run to take a 31-22 lead into the locker room.

"He brings a ton of energy off the bench that we most certainly need," Winter said. "Offensively, really good offensive rebounder, crashes the glass defensively. He's a strong guard, not afraid to 'D' up and get his nose in there. What he brings for us off the bench and the physicality he plays with is huge."

Carrington has a lot on his resume to suggest he'll make an impact with this roster. A former Minnesota Mr. Basketball winner, he has 80 Division-1 games under his belt, including 29 starts and two years playing in the Big Ten at Minnesota.

It was in Minneapolis playing alongside established scorers like Jamison Battle and Dawson Garcia that Carrington grew defensively in order to find his niche one the court.

"I realized I wasn't the best player on the court anymore," Carrington said in the spring. "Everybody else is just as good as me, and I'm not going to be able to go up and shoot a bunch of shots. For me to get on the court, I had to standout and do something else. i figured out that just doing the dirty work, not everybody wants to do that.

"I found joy in getting rebounds, playing inside, and getting physical. I think that helped with my defense and getting stronger."

With a five-man bench that includes one redshirt sophomore and three freshmen, Carrington's presence will be invaluable for the program moving forward.

By the numbers

0.815 - Points per possession for UW-Platteville

1 - Block for Wisconsin

7 - Platteville started the game on a 7-0 run, holding the Badgers scoreless until the 16:53 mark.

10 - Gard stuck to his same starting lineup and his 10-man rotation for the second consecutive exhibition game, strongly suggesting the Badgers will lean heavily on freshmen Aleksas Bieliauskas and Will Garlock to provide support for the frontcourt.

23.8 - Combined three-point shooting from Wisconsin's starting five (5-for-21)

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