Wisconsin Badgers' three-point barrage showing no signs of slowing down

MADISON, Wis. - It took double overtime for the University of Wisconsin to set its current program record of 40 three pointers 24 years ago. With how the Badgers have constructed their current roster, don't be surprised if the offense eclipses that number midway through a second half.

A program that not long ago prided itself on winning low-possession, grind-them-out games, Wisconsin hasn't been afraid to let it fly through its first four wins, having attempted 28, 31, 38, and 39 perimeter shots.

That number is right where head coach Greg Gard wants them to be.

"Typically, it's going to be 30-plus," Gard said of his team's goal for perimeter shots per game. "Teams that play us differently, it might be a little less if more things open at the rim, and we get more at the paint. It's a feel for how the game is going. We're built to shoot a lot."

How's another 3 from JB?

The junior is up to 19 points, including 4-of-4 from deep

UW 69
SIUE 49

12-Minute Media TO

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— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) November 18, 2025

And shoot they have. Entering Friday's nonconference title against No.9 BYU in Salt Lake City, Wisconsin (4-0) is attempting 34 three-point shots per game. That leads the Big Ten, is fourth nationally among power-conference schools, and is tied for 11th nationally. It's led the Badgers to average 93.3 points per game and rank ninth nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency.

The perimeter outburst stems from the realization of Gard and the coaching staff that the offense needed a facelift after the 2022 roster averaged 65.3 points per game and missed the NCAA Tournament, as well as rule changes making the college game more offensive driven.

With a large assist from former assistant coach Kirk Penney, the Badgers developed an offense that leaned heavily on ball screens and freedom of movement, creating advantages through continuous wing and middle ball screens between a guard and a post player. Each screen had multiple actions coming off it, free players for scoring opportunities through driving lanes to the rim or drawing defenders away from the basket.

The offense spread the floor to create driving angles, rolling angles, and post touches. When working harmoniously, each possession should create multiple options to allow multiple people to thrive, whether it be looks at the rim or freed-up shooters on the perimeter.

And-one from DEEP 😤

BC extends the #Badgers lead!

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— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) November 18, 2025

And with a three-point shot being worth more than two, a favorite quip of Gard's, the Badgers greenlighted the perimeter last season.

A year after attempting 1,052 three-pointers and averaging 9.9 makes per game, obliterating both school records, the Badgers are on pace to shoot 1,054 three-pointers before postseason play begins.

"The analytics and just where the game is, it shows how the game is play right now with spacing and pace," Gard said. "The ability to have multiple weapons on the floor, if not all five that can shoot it."

Putting five shooters on the floor was one of the driving factors for who Wisconsin targeted in the transfer portal. Guard Nick Boyd shot 37.0 percent over four college seasons at Florida Atlantic and San Diego State. Guard Andrew Rohde hit 41.3 percent of his threes last season at Virginia, while forward Austin Rapp led the West Coast Conference in three-point shots made (83) and percentage (35.2).

The trio hit multiple triples against Ball State, a game in which UW went 6-for-23 from the perimeter in the first half, the third-highest three-point attempts in a half in school history. The two games ranked above it necessitated the perimeter shooting.

The Badgers attempted 25 threes in the first half at Creighton when the Blue Jays doubled the post to take the ball out of the hands of Nigel Hayes and Ethan Happ in the low post. Twenty-two years earlier, the Badgers attempted 24 in the second half in a game at Eastern Michigan that saw them down as many as 35 points in the first half.

Gard quipped after that Creighton loss in 2016 that the Badgers' 39 three-point attempts were "too many." Nine years later, it's standard operating procedure.

"It can never get too high," Gard said of the three-point attempts. "Obviously it's shot selection and not all threes are created equal, so there's a little bit of jurisdiction on that, but I try not to micromanage (shots). I would get more concerned if it's too low than too high."

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