Anchored by their big men, the No. 24 University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team handled Ball State 86-55 Nov. 11 at the Kohl Center, winning its third straight nonconference matchup.
The Badgers came out of the gates strong and immediately took it to a much smaller Cardinals roster. Ball State has just one player on the roster listed over six-foot-seven, and Wisconsin took advantage of the size mismatch.
After the guards made the headlines in the first two games, it was the starting big-man duo which stood out Tuesday.
Junior forward Nolan Winter posted a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds and affected shots at the rim from the Cardinals all game, finishing with three blocks. Sophomore forward Austin Rapp also had three blocks and scored 11 points.
The bigs were joined as double-figure scorers by the trio of senior guards — Nick Boyd, Andrew Rohde and Braeden Carrington.
Winter scored the first points of the game, tipping in his own miss and once again, Boyd provided an early spark offensively, knocking down two 3-pointers in the first couple minutes. By the first media timeout, four of the five starters had scored, helping build an early 13-4 lead.
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Offensively, the Badgers seemed to pick up right where they left off in the dominant win against Northern Illinois, with every player on the floor contributing.
“I think that’s when our offense is at its best, when we’re playing unselfish, playing confident, moving the ball, kind of what we saw for the first 10 minutes,” Winter said. “Now it’s on us to have that carry over for the whole game.”
Not only did Ball State struggle to keep Wisconsin off of the offensive glass early, it had a woeful shooting start, connecting on just one of their first 10 attempts from the field.
It also took nearly nine minutes of game action for the Cardinals to score in the paint. Kayden Fish ended the drought with a layup at the 11:11 mark, cutting the Badgers’ lead to 27-8.
Ball State was clearly outmatched, and without getting hot from the field, needed some assistance from Wisconsin to keep the game within reach. The Badgers did so, turning the ball over seven times in the first half.
Thanks to a sloppy sequence from the Badgers, including multiple turnovers, the Cardinals went on an 8-0 run to cut their deficit to 32-18, but junior guard John Blackwell prevented further damage, knocking down a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 35-18.
Gard’s team landed the first punch of the game with the early run, but it was Ball State which threw the last punch of the first half as an Elmore James IV layup in the closing minute of the half cut the Wisconsin lead to 39-26.
To open the second half, it was once again Winter with the first points of the frame. But as was the case in the first half, sloppiness from the Badgers allowed Ball State to be in the game for longer than Wisconsin would have liked.
Despite an uncharacteristic seven-turnover half, the Badgers topped that number in the second half, turning the ball over eight times, bringing the total for the game to 15.
The Badgers were, however, able to overcome the turnover issue by shooting 50% from the field, knocking down 14 3-pointers. Yet while the Cardinals were never in position to win the game, the score did not reflect Wisconsin’s domination until late.
About halfway through the second half, a run consisting of a Winter putback dunk, three scores from Carrington and a Rohde 3-pointer extended the lead to 73-38, all but putting away Ball State.
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As has been a luxury for the Badgers this season, they got a major spark off the bench, this time from Carrington.
“I just do what I do every time,” Carrington said. “Do what the team needs — hustle plays, knock down shots, just do what I do.”
Through three games for this Wisconsin team, the contributions have come from all across the board. The Badgers have yet to be truly challenged, but that should change as the schedule continues to ramp up.
Wisconsin’s next game is the first against an opponent which made the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Cougars will travel to the Kohl Center Monday, Nov. 17. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT, and the game will air on Big Ten Network.