The Wisconsin Badgers officially returned to action on Monday night, as they opened their 2025-26 season with a 96-64 victory over Campbell.
The first half was definitely an adjustment for some of the Badgers’ starters. The team allowed Campbell to keep the game relatively close for the first 20 minutes. Wisconsin eventually went on a run at the end of the first half to extend its lead to 10 points. The second half then became a different story, as the Badgers held the Camels to just 28 points while scoring 48 in the process, cruising to an eventual 32-point victory.
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Wisconsin’s two backcourt starters, John Blackwell and Nick Boyd, were the stars of the game, each delivering excellent performances. Besides these two, junior Nolan Winter had his fair share of points, scoring 17 points while grabbing 13 rebounds.
Before fans turn their attention to Wisconsin’s next game against Northern Illinois, here are three stats that defined the team’s over the Campbell Camels:
Wisconsin’s 1.35 PPP (points per possession)
Wisconsin’s offense was a big talking point during the offseason, with the team returning both Blackwell and Winter, who were two key starters for last season’s squad. Many analysts and fans predicted that this season wouldn’t look much different offensively and that they might even be more explosive than they were during the 2024-2025 season.
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They were correct.
Wisconsin’s offense looked fast, high-octane, and heavily reliant on three-pointers, which the team made at nearly a 40% clip. It’s also clear that Blackwell is ready for the jump people were expecting and that the Badgers’ transfer portal class is both talented and deep. It might take a little while for the Badgers to work through some hiccups, which is expected since they’re starting three new transfers. But when it clicks, this offense will be very dangerous.
Wisconsin’s 11 steals and 19 turnovers forced
Defense has been a staple of Wisconsin basketball ever since the days of Dick Bennett and Bo Ryan. Head coach Greg Gard is a disciple of Ryan’s and has carried over this love for tough defenses. With that, he has also recently shifted his focus towards modernizing the program’s offense, which has made the defense feel a little more of an afterthought compared to Badger teams of old. If anything was going to be this team’s Achilles heel this season, it was going to be its defense. Wisconsin proved that it has a high defensive ceiling on Monday, as it grabbed 11 steals and forced the Camels to turn over the ball a total of 19 times. Andrew Rohde and Jack Janicki led the way in steals, grabbing three and four steals, respectively. If they can keep this up, it could be a real strength for the Badgers this season as they head into matchups against higher-ranked opponents.
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Wisconsin shooting 17 of 19 from free throw line
During Kirk Penney’s time as a special assistant to the head coach in Madison, he prioritized efficiency from beyond the arc as well as from the charity stripe. These principles are still prevalent in this Badgers’ squad, as Wisconsin connected on 17 of its 19 free throw attempts against Campbell. The Badgers led the nation in free-throw percentage last season, and continuing excellence in that area will be crucial if they want to achieve as much success, or even more, as last season’s squad did.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Stats that defined Wisconsin basketball’s win over Campbell
