Postgame notes after Wisconsin’s 94-69 win over SIU-Edwardsville
Notes and notable statistics from the Badgers' victory over the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars.
The Wisconsin men’s basketball team improved to 4-0 on the season last night, defeating SIU-Edwardsville, 94-69. The Badgers have been cruising to start the season, winning all four games without much of a problem.
Last night, John Blackwell and Nick Boyd combined to score 46 of the Badgers’ 94 points. Sophomore Austin Rapp also scored in the double-digits, adding 15 points to the Badgers’ scoring effort.
Nolan Winter was one point and two rebounds shy of another double-double.
Here are the postgame notes and notable team and individual statistics following Wisconsin’s victory over SIU-Edwardsville via the Wisconsin athletic department.
Team Notes
The Badgers have now started the season 4-0 in back-to-back seasons and for the 4th time in the Greg Gard era.
UW’s average margin of victory this season is 28.3 ppg, having won all four games by at least 25 points.
Greg Gard is now 217-117 (.650) all-time as the head coach of the Badgers and 127-36 (.779) at the Kohl Center.
UW is now 78-23 (.772) in the regular season, non-conference games under Gard, including a mark of 56-5 (.918) at the Kohl Center.
The Badgers have won 54 consecutive home games against non-power conference teams, including a perfect 53-0 under Gard.
Wisconsin has won 16 consecutive non-conference home games dating back to a Nov. 10, 2023, loss to No. 9 Tennessee. That is the 3rd-longest active streak in the Big Ten.
Wisconsin moved to 378-73 (.838) all-time at the Kohl Center, the 10th-best home record in the country among active venues.
The Badgers are averaging 93.3 ppg on the season, and the team’s 373 points are their 4th-highest total through 4 games.
Including 15 3FGs tonight, the Badgers lead the Big Ten, averaging 12.3 3FGs per game.
Wisconsin has now made 49 3-pointers on the season, the team’s highest total through 4 games dating back to at least 2002-03.
UW turned it over a season-low 4 times, the team’s fewest since giving it away just 3 times in a win at Purdue last season (2/15/25).
Wisconsin is averaging just 9.3 turnovers per game on the season.
The Badgers went 21-for-24 (87.5%) at the free-throw line. UW now ranks 5th in the nation, shooting 84.1% (74-88) from the free throw line on the season.
Wisconsin led the NCAA in FT shooting a year ago with a mark of 82.8%.
UW scored a season-high 19 fast-break points.
The Badgers enjoyed a 16-0 scoring run early in the second half to break the game open. UW’s lead ballooned from 48-43 to 64-43 over a span of 5:16.
Individual Notes
Graduate student Nick Boyd scored 22 points (4-7 3FGs) to go with 6 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Boyd has scored in double figures in all 4 games this season, including 3 games with 20+.
Boyd is averaging 20.0 ppg, having scored 80 through the first 4 games. That number trails only John Tonje and Johnny Davis, for most by a Badger through 4 games dating back to the 1999-00 season.
Boyd is shooting 90.5% from the free throw line, going 19-for-21.
Junior John Blackwell finished with 24 points, going 5-for-6 from 3-point range and 7-for-8 from the free throw line. He also matched a season-high with 6 rebounds.
Blackwell topped 20 points for the 2nd time this season and the 11th time in his career.
Blackwell is averaging 19.5 ppg, having scored 78 points through 4 games. That figure ranks 6th among Badgers since 1999-00.
Blackwell has gone 13-for-26 (50.0%) from 3-point range on the season.
Sophomore Austin Rapp matched his UW high with 13 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, his most as a Badger. Rapp went 3-for-9 from long range and 4-for-4 from the FT line.
Rapp has scored in double figures in 3 of 4 games as a Badger, averaging 11.3 ppg on the season.
Wisconsin will continue its non-conference schedule on Friday afternoon when the Badgers travel to Salt Lake City for a rematch with the No. 9 BYU Cougars, led by AJ Dybansta, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The Cougars (3-1) are coming off an 86-84 loss to the No. 3 UCONN Huskies.
This will be the first major test for the Wisconsin basketball team. It is their first game away from the Kohl Center and their first against a power conference opponent.
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