The Wisconsin Badgers are now 2-0 on the season, defeating Northern Illinois, 97-72. Unlike last Monday’s game against Campbell, the Badgers got off to a fast start, leading 20-5, beginning with an Andrew Rohde three-pointer and a Nick Boyd steal and subsequent layup to get the Badgers started.
This game was over in the first half, as the Badgers found themselves up by as many as 21 points. Not only did Wisconsin move the ball exceptionally well on offense, but they also out-rebounded the Huskies 36 to 25, with 15 coming on the offensive glass.
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Once again, many Badger players deserve praise. Two players are Aleksas Bieliauskas and Jack Janicki. Bieliauskas had a solid game coming off the bench with eight points in the first half and finished with four rebounds. Janicki, once again, was a defensive thief, leading the Badgers in steals for the second straight game.
Here are three Badgers standouts from Wisconsin’s win over Northern Illinois:
Nick Boyd
The Badgers might have a star at point guard this season, as Boyd finished this game with a career-high 25 points on 8-of-16 field-goal attempts. From the beginning of the game, Boyd was in attack mode, whether it was driving to the rim or shooting from behind the three-point line.
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Against Campbell, Boyd did not make a three-pointer. On Friday, Boyd shot much better, finishing 3-for-8 from three. While there were some ill-timed heat-check shots from the veteran point guard, you have to like Boyd’s aggressiveness on offense.
Last season, the Badgers did not have a true point guard. This year, they have one, as a good one at it.
John Blackwell
Blackwell followed his 31-point outing against Campbell with another solid game against Northern Illinois. The junior guard finished with 15 points, nine of which came in the first half, and six rebounds against the Huskies. Blackwell also got to the free-throw line well and finished 7-for-8 at the charity stripe on Friday.
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Nolan Winter
One of the keys to the game was Winter’s post-matchup against Northern Illinois’ big man, Gustav Winther. It was not close. While Winther scored a mere three points and one rebound, Nolan Winter outplayed him with 12 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks against the Huskies. In addition, Winter finished with a perfect 4-for-4 on free-throw attempts.
Honorable Mention: Isaac Gard
The walk-on from Oregon, and son of Greg Gard, got some playing time with under one minute left in the game and had his best outing as a Badger. After Riccardo Greppi rebounded a Hayden Jones missed free throw, Greppi threw a pass to Gard, who buried a three-pointer to the delight of his Badger teammates and fans.
Gard, fouled after collecting a rebound, made both of his free throws to finish with five points. You have to love it when a walk-on like Gard comes in late and gets in on the scoring sheet.
