Notes: Wisconsin's ball movement and security lead the Badgers past Central Michigan

MADISON, Wis. - Team and individual notes from Wisconsin's 88-61 victory over Central Michigan at the Kohl Center, improving the Badgers to 8-4 on the season.

Team notes

UW improved to 4-2 all-time against Central Michigan, including a 4-0 record in Madison

UW is now 81-25 (.764) in regular season, non-conference games under head coach Greg Gard. including a mark of 58-5 (.921) at the Kohl Center.

Gard is now 221-121 (.646) as the head coach at Wisconsin.

Wisconsin scored 44 bench points in the win, led by Austin Rapp's 18 points.

Wisconsin was down one starter and saw another go down in the second half. The #Badgers responded by getting a season-high 44 points from their bench in an 88-61 victory over Central Michigan https://t.co/mhLpdj5Q0r
— Benjamin Worgull (@TheBadgerNation) December 23, 2025

The 44 bench points marked the most in a game for UW since at least the 2006-07 season.

Badger bench players accounted for 10 of UW's 13 3PT makes in the win. Wisconsin had 11 players score in the win, tied for the most this season (Northern Illinois).

The Badgers shot 53.7% from the field in the win (29-for-54) - the highest mark of the

season.

The Badgers 29 field goals came off a season-high 25 assists. The last time the Badgers collected 25 assists was last season's win vs Iowa (1/3/25).

The game marked the first time in at least the past 20 years that UW totaled 25 or more assists on fewer than 30 field goal makes.

The 25 assists came with just 9 turnovers. It's the first time since at least 2004-05 where the Badgers had over 25 assists and fewer than 10 turnovers in a game.

The Badgers are 6-0 this season when turning over the ball fewer than 10 times.

UW went 13-for-31 from the 3-point line (41.9%).

The Badgers are averaging 11.0 3FGs per game, which matches Nebraska for the most in the Big Ten and ranks 15th nationally.

The Badgers have made double-digit triples in 8 of 12 games this season, going 7-1 in such games.

UW held CMU scoreless for 5:07 between 16:15-11:08, the longest stretch for the Badgers since their opening game vs Campbell

Wisconsin outrebounded Central Michigan 41-22, tied for the highest rebound differential of the season (19 vs Ball State).

Individual notes

Sophomore Austin Rapp collected 18 points and 7 rebounds while shooting 7-for-10 from the field and 4-for-7 from 3-point range.

Rapp's 18 points are his second highest-total of the season, previously scoring 20 against Providence this season.

Junior Nolan Winter tallied 18 points and 8 rebounds, while shooting an efficient 6-for-9 from the field. Winter now has 10 games this season scoring in double-digits, including his last five games.

Graduate student Nick Boyd posted 12 points. Boyd has scored in double figures in all 12 games this season and ranks fifth in the Big Ten in scoring this season, averaging 19.4 ppg.

Sophomore Jack Janicki led all players with a career-high nine assists. Janicki is the second Badger this season with an nine-assist game, joining Andrew Rhode (9 vs. Northwestern, 12/3).

Janicki and Rhode are the first pair of Badger teammates to each have a 9+ assist game in a season since Jordan Taylor and Josh Gasser in 2011-12.

Freshman Aleksas Bieliauskas collected a career-high four assists.

Freshman Will Garlock scored four points and hauled in a career-high 5 rebounds. He also played in a career-best 14 minutes.

Freshman Hayden Jones made his first career start for the Badgers, scoring a career-high 6 points with 4 rebounds.

Freshman Zach Kinziger made his collegiate debut, scoring 6 points while going 2-for-4 from the 3-point line, and collecting two assists.

- Notes provided by UW Brand Communications

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