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Surprise Wisconsin Badger ranked among Top 100 basketball players isn't who you think it is

Greg Gard has high expectations for John Blackwell this season, but he isn't the Wisconsin Badgers guard that landed in the latest ranking of the Top 100 players in college basketball.
Lorin Cox|
Mar 17, 2025; Dayton, OH, USA; Guard Nick Boyd transferred to the Wisconsin Badgers from the San Diego State Aztecs
Mar 17, 2025; Dayton, OH, USA; Guard Nick Boyd transferred to the Wisconsin Badgers from the San Diego State Aztecs | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers are looking to John Blackwell to take over as the leader of the basketball team this season, shifting from a true point guard role to more of a scoring guard on the wing.

He earned preseason All-Big Ten honors Tuesday as expectations rise for his junior season.

Yet, college basketball writer James Fletcher from On3 didn't have Blackwell in his list of the Top 100 players in the nation this season, choosing to include a different Wisconsin Badgers guard instead.

Coming in at No. 98 on the list was Nick Boyd, a newcomer to the program who transferred in from San Diego State this offseason.

He averaged over 13 points and nearly four assists and rebounds per game last season with the Aztecs, leading them to an 11 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Boyd presents a great addition to the Badgers backcourt that can allow Blackwell to play more freely off of the ball, but his appearance on the list ahead of his new teammate is a head-scratcher.

Related: Greg Gard pitting John Blackwell and Nick Boyd against each other to ramp up Badgers practice intensity

Blackwell averaged nearly 16 points and over five rebounds per game last season and is coming into this season as the more highly touted player.

Perhaps the writer just feels that strongly about Boyd being able to take his game to the next step as he goes from Mountain West to Big Ten play.

Both Badgers guards are looking to make an even bigger impact this season, and the more they push each other, the better they'll each get.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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