Three Wisconsin Takeaways: Badgers still waiting for their key veteran to heat up

Wisconsin Badgers overwhelm Fairfield to register their largest margin of victory in 10 years.

Wisconsin forward Victory Onuetu blocks a shot in the Badgers' 89-42 victory over Fairfield. | UW Athletics

MADISON, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin needed time to put away its first two mid-major opponents in the opening week of the college basketball season. It was a different story to start week two.

A 22-0 run, combined with solid play on both ends of the court, set the tone for the season’s best all-around performance, a stress-free 89-42 win for Wisconsin over Fairfield at the Kohl Center on Tuesday.

After two games scoring in the 70s with single-digit wins, Wisconsin (3-0) delivered its biggest margin of victory in a decade, with stellar defense and an explosive offense, even though its best offensive player continues to stay relatively quiet.

"To get out on the jump like that and never look back is a good feeling," said sophomore Zach Kinziger, who finished with a career-high seven points. "After having some closer games to start, it feels good to put it together a little bit on both ends."

"Now we just got to keep taking steps forward. It's no looking back."

Here are my takeaways.

AUSSIE FORCES THE TIMEOUT

Wisconsin in front after the 15-0 run!

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/TjkMtZwe84

— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) November 11, 2026

Offense sparks because of defense

Wisconsin’s defense will be tested more than it has been so far. However, the Badgers are laying the groundwork for a team that will be physically and mentally tougher than a year ago and harder to score on. That mindset should lead to offense. It did Tuesday in a gigantic way.

Wisconsin had its best shooting game this season from the floor (51.8), from three (42.3), and from the line (74.1). Six UW players shot at least 50 percent from the floor, and the team got 47 bench points, 24 more than it scored in the first two games combined.

That success correlated to the work on the defensive end. Wisconsin spent most of the first half limiting offensive rebounds and pushing the ball in transition. UW was +13 on the defensive glass, which led to a 19-2 edge in fast-break points.

"That's when we are at our best," forward Austin Rapp said, "and it showed."

It's not like the Badgers picked on a lowly mid-major either. Fairfield is expected to win the Metro Conference and has the Metro Conference Preseason Player of the Year in Declan Wucherpfennig. However, Wisconsin's ability to pressure the ball and get into shooters was notable, especially against Wucherpfennig, who averaged 21.0 points per game on 50 percent shooting.

UW gave him nothing, effectively using its switches on the perimeter and interior pressuring the rim. Wucherpfennig finished with five points on 2-for-9 shooting, going mostly against Rapp, who asked head coach Greg Gard to have the defensive assignment.

Thanks to a first-half stretch where Wisconsin held Fairfield to 22 straight missed field goals and another with 15 straight misses in the second half, the Badgers delivered their lowest opponent shooting percentage (19.4) in 30 years.

"That just comes from us being really grounded defensively and sticking to our rules," said Rapp, as UW also held Fairfield to 1-for-21 (4.8 percent) from three.

Wisconsin toeing the line with Onuetu

The addition of Victory Onuetu from the transfer portal gave the Badgers a shot-blocking dimension they have not had in several seasons to their defense. It also gave the coaching staff a player who spent a lot of time creating whistles.

Last season, Onuetu averaged 3.1 personal fouls while playing 17.8 minutes per game, roughly a foul every 5.7 minutes on the court. According to KenPom, Onuetu committed 7.4 fouls per 40 minutes during the 2025–26 season, making him one of the more foul-prone players in college basketball.

Those whistles were a problem in the opener, as Onuetu played just under 11 minutes from the starting lineup and rode the bench with foul trouble most of the second half. He joked Friday that he told himself he wouldn’t foul. He responded with 11 points, 11 rebounds, and no fouls in the win over Delaware.

Onuetu was one of two players who didn't score against Fairfield but registered a game-high eight rebounds and a block. He also committed three fouls and four turnovers, thus the balancing act of teaching him not to foul while not taking away his shot-blocking prowess.

"He jumps at stuff too much," Gard said. "I don't want to put him on a timeout yet either because the shot-blocking is a dimension we haven't had. That's such a defensive weapon when you can erase shots like that. There's going to be a mistake or two ... I thought he did a better job in the previous game, and same thing tonight.

“There's going to be some give and take there because of the impact he can have defensively. You just got to continue to have him understand when to and when not to. He's seven feet, and when he walls people up, it's hard to score through. You don't have to leave the floor. That threat of a shot blocker behind, it's a great eraser at the back end of your defense."

Winter stuck in neutral

Blame it on early-season rust after he was limited during the summer, but something hasn't looked right with senior forward Nolan Winter.

After a porous 3-for-10 in the opener, Winter was 4-for-9 against Delaware before a quiet two points on four shots on Tuesday. He was quiet during Wisconsin's 22-0 run and on what became a 38-4 run, registering only a layup and two rebounds.

He was a nonfactor in the second half with no shots, one offensive rebound, and an offensive foul, checking out shortly after and not playing the final 11 minutes.

Wisconsin didn't need him tonight because of the score gap, Fairfield's lack of interior size, and Will Garlock playing well. The sophomore was solid on defending ball screens, creating traffic in the lane, and finishing with a career-high eight points on 4-for-4 shooting in a career-best 19 minutes.

However, UW needs to figure out how to get Winter playing at his usual level. After shooting just under 70 percent from two last season, Winter is shooting 43.8 percent (7-for-16) from two through three games this year.