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Wisconsin guard John Blackwell is his biggest critic and the Badgers' best leader

The pied piper of Wisconsin, John Blackwell has elevated his game to a higher level for the Badgers
Benjamin Worgull|
Nov 28, 2025; San Diego, CA, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell (25) handles the ball against the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs during the first half at Jenny Craig Pavilion.
Nov 28, 2025; San Diego, CA, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell (25) handles the ball against the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs during the first half at Jenny Craig Pavilion. | Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

MILWAUKEE - It hadn't been 24 hours when John Blackwell got a summons on his phone that he knew deep down was coming. It was his head coach, and he needed to see him and point guard Nick Boyd in his office.

Greg Gard had finished reviewing the film from Wisconsin's 90-60 loss to Nebraska, and he wanted to address things with his starting guards before meeting with the rest of the team.

Blackwell didn't need the text message. He was a step ahead of his coach, already packed and on the way to his office.

"I am my biggest critic," Blackwell said. "Sometimes I don't like watching myself unless I do badly. There were definitely some things that I could have been better at. I am hard on myself in a way, try and get better with each and every opportunity, to get better. I can always get one percent better and grow from games, especially with a loss."

Blackwell has always strived to do more on the court, but pushing for greatness hasn't come as a result of forcing moments and things to happen. It's part of the reason the University of Wisconsin junior is the midst of a career season.

Entering tonight's nonconference matchup against Villanova (8-2) at Fiserv Forum, Blackwell is seventh in the conference in scoring (19.6 ppg) and is one of two major conference players with three 30-point games this season.

He's become more deadly with his perimeter shot (his four games with at least five threes ranks third in the country), worked tirelessly on his mid-range game, and ranks fifth in the league with an 82.7 percent free throw percentage. Combined with him being third in the conference with 1.8 steals per game and drawing over seven fouls per 40 minutes, Blackwell has become one of the premier guards in the conference. It's part of the reason why he was so letdown following his night in Nebraska.

Fresh off being named conference player of the week for the first time, Blackwell's killer instinct was missing. His .091 shooting percentage (1-for-11) was his worst shooting game since the 2024 postseason, and he settled for bad shots instead of attacking the rim.

Even more out of character was Blackwell looked disengaged defensively, getting caught watching the ball and putting himself out of place to defend screeners and rollers.

"Coming off an exceptional week (where) he was Big Ten player of the week, you've got to continue to have that same type of DNA that got you on the floor as a freshman," Gard said. "Yes, you add the scoring, but don't forget those things that helped make you as a freshman, too. He impacts the game well in so many other areas."

Blackwell's proficiency in those other areas is what attracted Gard. He watched Blackwell play with his high school team at a Michigan high school coaches' event and saw him always appear to be in the right position, have strong defensive awareness, and be an effective communicator. More importantly, Blackwell didn't force anything that wasn't there.

He wasn't the star of the team, not with multiple division-1 recruits as teammates, but, according to Gard, "his understanding of the game and how to impact winning was pretty evident."

"I thought then that the mindset was in the right place," Gard added. "He understood the game, and it's a matter of him continuing to grow in his game."

He's been proven right, which has allowed Blackwell to be interchangeable in Wisconsin's offense.

UW needed a point guard last season after Chucky Hepburn transferred to Louisville and turned to Blackwell, despite him having little knowledge of the college position. He transformed from a player who impacted the game with his defensive intensity and hustle as a freshman to one who averaged 15.8 points and had a 1.1 assist-to-turnover ratio against a rugged schedule.

UW entered this season needing to replace the scoring of John Tonje. The addition of Boyd at point allowed Blackwell to move to his more nature guard position of being off the ball. The addition of Andrew Rohde meant Blackwell didn’t need to be the one to get the offense into its sets, giving him the freedom to expand his game offensive to really show how good he can be.

The new pieces from the portal, getting on the court as a freshman, and going through the NBA Draft process this past summer were just some of the steps he needed to make.

He spent the offseason tightening up his shot and knowing where his spots are. He altered his diet, cutting out dairy and sweets to focus on chicken, grains, and steaks, as well as drink a gallon of water a day. Him pushing himself in the weight room to get leaner, stronger, more athletic, and a half step quicker has yielded noticeable results.

"I have always seen him just be very level-headed: never too high, never too low, one or the other," said Gard, who jokes that Blackwell reminds him of a duck, which looks calm above the surface but is constantly moving beneath the water.

"I think what's grown is just his confidence in who he is, obviously, physically, he's changed. He's added components to his game, but that, that mindset, that composure, have always been there."

The meeting in Gard's office went as he expected. Armed with video clips and analytics, Gard, Blackwell, and Boyd broke down the out-of-character plays on both ends of the floor, the science behind shooting percentages, and how their individual play can get better to help the team.

Blackwell knows he needs to work harder to finish around the rim and stay disciplined in his three-point attempts. He made his mark coming off back screens as a freshman but has grown his game and ball handling to be a scoring threat from anywhere.

It was a reminder of how to be great, something Blackwell has started to really tap into.

"I know it is December, know it is cold outside, and it is a struggle sometimes, but you just have to encourage your teammates, like let's keep it going," Blackwell said. "Let's keep it real positive.

"We have practiced really hard, and not just practicing, but we have been communicating better, too. We have each other's backs more, trusting each other more. It has been good here, but we are going to show the product on Friday."

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Benjamin Worgull
BENJAMIN WORGULL

Benjamin Worgull has covered Wisconsin men's basketball since 2004, having previously written for Rivals, USA Today, 247sports, Fox Sports, the Associated Press, the Janesville Gazette, and the Wisconsin State Journal.

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