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National Championship-winning coach sees Wisconsin Badgers NCAA Tournament potential

The Badgers had Campbell's national championship-winning coach John Andrzejek raving about Wisconsin's upside. He learned a thing or two about success as an assistant at Florida.
Cam Wilhorn|
Wisconsin forward Nolan Winter (31) grabs a rebound during the first half of their game against Campbell Monday, November 3, 2025 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin forward Nolan Winter (31) grabs a rebound during the first half of their game against Campbell Monday, November 3, 2025 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin Badgers season-opening win over Campbell was eye-opening for plenty of reasons.

Just hours after John Blackwell was named to the Naismith Player of the Year preseason watchlist, he delivered a methodical 31 points. Nolan Winter posted an easy 17-point, 12-rebound double-double. And Nick Boyd's pace and ability to get downhill gave the Fighting Camels' plenty of fits.

But for as many dominant stretches Wisconsin had, they had a similar number of defensive mistakes and sub-standard offensive series.

That inconsistency is precisely what has Greg Gard enthusiastic about the 2025-26 season, though.

"Everyone on the outside is excited about what this team is, I’m excited about what this team isn’t," Gard said. "There's a lot of things we can get better at, and if we do that, then it gives us a chance to have a good year."

Campbell head coach John Andrzejek knows a thing or two about good teams from his past two seasons on the coaching staff at Florida. He shared a similar level of positivity regarding the Badgers.

Badgers can "advance far in the NCAA Tournament"

Andrzejek offered a glowing review of Wisconsin following what was a significantly more competitive game than the final score indicates.

"They are a team that can advance far in the NCAA tournament. I firmly believe that. I knew that going into today [and] I think today showed that even more," Andrzejek said postgame. "They’re a great team, a team that I expect to be awesome in the Big Ten Conference and be able to play second weekend and potentially beyond. They got all the stuff you look for. They got a lot of shooting, they got a lot of skill, they play together as a group."

The 33-year-old coach saw last season at Florida what it takes to win a National Championship, making his word on postseason success carry more weight than most first-year head coaches.

Though it came in spurts, Wisconsin showed plenty of that skill and complementary playstyle in the final 10 minutes, as it ballooned a five-point lead into a 32-point advantage at the buzzer.

The Badgers outscored Campbell 31-4 during that stretch. After bleeding baskets at the rim throughout the first 20 to 30 minutes, Wisconsin put on its defensive clamps.

As Andrzejek said, that's just what good teams do.

"We were able to kind of chip into it, I think we got it to maybe 67-62 or something," he said. "And it was that kind of big moment of like, alright, what is this game going to become? Was it going to become sort of this tight, nervy game that goes back and forth?"

"It didn't become that," Andrzejek continued. "They kind of put their foot on the gas and clamped down defensively and started pressuring us real hard... If I'm a Badgers coach, I'm pleased with how they responded."

Wisconsin's willingness and ability to flip the switch and deliver a staggering finishing blow to the Fighting Camels spotlighted the Badgers' mental fortitude and leadership.

Blackwell, Winter and Boyd combined to score 21 of 31 points during the run. While their individual resilience was impressive, Andrzejek noticed something specific in the closing minutes that signified the strength of Wisconsin's culture.

"I heard one of their players with about a minute 1:20 left in the game say, ‘Hey, nine turnovers, nine turnovers. Take care of the ball, take care of the ball,’" Andrzejek recalled. "That’s culture, that’s program. Like it was important to them to not turn it over one more time, and they didn’t. Finished the game on nine turnovers."

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Cam Wilhorn
CAM WILHORN

Cam Wilhorn is a University of Wisconsin School of Journalism Graduate and Wisconsin native. He's been covering Wisconsin sports since 2023 for outlets like BadgerBlitz.com, Badger of Honor and The Badger Herald.

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