Quick Hits: No.24 Wisconsin's post dominance led the Badgers to an 86-55 win over Ball State

MADISON, Wis. - Feast week is still two weeks away, but the University of Wisconsin's frontcourt took advantage of the early buffet.

With its top three post players having a noticeable height advantage over Ball State's rotation, No.24 Wisconsin leaned on its bigs to pound the post, attack the rim, and shoulder the offense in an 86-55
victory over the Cardinals at the Kohl Center.

The combination of starters Nolan Winter and Austin Rapp and freshman reserve Aleksas Bieliauskas combined for 36 points and 20 rebounds for the Badgers (3-0), which also got three assists from 7-foot freshman center Will Garlock. Overall, UW's starting three were responsible for 20 of UW's 34 points in paint, as well as another 4-for-4 from the foul line.

Ballin’ past the Cards pic.twitter.com/MOR4JrLrfB
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) November 12, 2025

Winter had a five-inch height advantage and more game experience than anybody the Cardinals (2-1) could throw at him, and it showed. Winter registered his second double-double of the season in finishing with 19 points on an efficient 7-for-11 from the floor, while adding 10 rebounds, three blocks, and two assists.

He was also tied his career-high with two three-pointers, but Winter's highlight of the night was following up a missed three-pointer with a tip-in dunk.

Rapp had 11 and Bieliauskas had a well-rounded six points and eight rebounds.

The offense was important for Wisconsin considering how disjointed the rest of the offense looked. Wisconsin scored on 12 of its first 15 possessions to build a 30-6 lead, but the Badgers went into the cooler following the under-12 media timeout in the first half. The offense scored on only four of their last 20 possessions that was the result of a bounty of sloppy, unforced turnovers.

The turnovers were still there in the second half, but the Badgers made nine of their first 11 field goals to build a 27-point lead that was never threatened.

Senior guard Elmore James had 17 points for the Cardinals, who fell to 0-7 all-time in Madison.

What it means: Wisconsin is still searching for a complete offensive performance and yet are still blowing teams out. There's plenty to correct, which is always easier after wins, but tougher games are less than two weeks away.

Star of the game: It would have been a disappointment had Winter not dominated the smaller lineup in front of him. While he wasn't immune to Wisconsin's turnover problem (two), Winter was locked in throughout the night.

Stat of the game: Wisconsin finished 14-for-19 on layups and dunks, all the while limiting Ball State to 9-for-19 on those same shots.

Reason to be Concerned: The Badgers had only nine turnovers in each of their first two games but were uncharacteristically sloppy with 15 turnovers, many unforced and blatantly sloppy. Nine players had turnovers with Nick Boyd and John Blackwell each having three.

Don’t overlook: Senior Andrew Rohde had his best game of the young season, finishing with 10 points, an assist, and a steal.

What’s next: Wisconsin wraps up its four-game homestand when it hosts SIU-Edwardsville at the Kohl Center Monday night. Picked to finish third in the Ohio Valley, the Cougars (2-1) already have a road win under their belt after winning at UTSA. After earning an all-tournament selection last season, senior wing Ring Malith returned to SIUE and leads the team at 17.0 ppg on 52.8 percent shooting.

Wisconsin is 13-2 all-time against teams in the OVC and has won both previous meetings against the Cougars, the most recent coming in 2008. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. with the game being televised on the Big Ten Network.

More Wisconsin Badgers News:

Wisconsin walk-on delivers a big boost while embodying the Badgers' culture

Wisconsin Badgers freshman considering a redshirt

Wisconsin cracks the top five in inaugural Big Ten Power Rankings

Greg Gard shakes up practices to help build synergy with the Wisconsin Badgers