MADISON, Wis. – Admitting to having a case of tunnel vision during games, Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard had no idea that the Badgers had set a new program record of 20 made three-pointers until the announcement appeared on the Kohl Center video board. No sooner did it appear than reserve point guard Camren Hunter hit three-pointer number 21, the final punctuation point to Wisconsin’s 116-85 victory over Iowa.
Not only were the 21 three-pointers a new Big Ten record, but the 116 points were a program record in a Big Ten game for Wisconsin (11-3, 1-2 Big Ten), not to mention the second-most points the program has scored in a game in its 126 seasons of basketball.
That kind of point total at Wisconsin would have been unthinkable as little as five years ago. Not this year to Gard considering the Badgers have built an offense with an analytical approach that has yielded dividends.
Advertisement
“When you’re following the plan of how we’ve tried to build this team and play, as we’ve made this offensive evolution, this is a byproduct of it,” said Gard, as UW shot 64.5 percent from the field and averaged 1.611 points per possession. “It’s part spacing. It’s part the talent of the players. You have five guys who can all shoot the three and they share the ball. They are really unselfish.
“All those things added together give you an opportunity to do something like this.”
In the last 25 seasons of Division 1 men’s and women’s basketball, only one team has scored at least 115 points by shooting better than 60 percent from the field, 65 percent from three, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Take a bow, Wisconsin.
Here are my takeaways from a record night at the Kohl Center.
Blackwell’s Confidence Is Growing
Sophomore guard John Blackwell doesn’t care what you label him – point guard, shooting guard, center, or whatever. In his words, he can do it.
Blackwell hinted that his game was turning a corner in the final weeks of 2024. After two rough Big Ten outings, resulting in too many turnovers and not enough high-quality shots, Blackwell had 10 assists and no turnovers against Butler and Detroit Mercy, all the while shooting 44.4 percent from the floor.
He elevated himself against Iowa with a career-high 32 points, knocking down a career-best six 3FGs (6-for-10). He was effective in putting the ball on the floor and attacking the rim (3-for-5 in the paint), pulling up for paint jumpers (2-for-3), or drilling shots from the perimeter. For the third straight game, Blackwell had five assists.
On UW’s decisive 19-2 run in the first half, Blackwell scored or assisted on 10 consecutive points to turn a close game into the beginning of a rout.
Advertisement
“He’s becoming more and more comfortable with the ball in his hands,” Gard said of Blackwell. “The last three games he has 15 assists to two turnovers, so he is seeing things faster and quicker earlier. I think he’s getting more comfortable in that role … He’s evolving as a player and when you surround him with really good players, we become much more difficult to cover and to guard because we got guys who can score at other positions.”
That balance was on full display against the Hawkeyes. Nolan Winter (18) and Steven Crowl (14) reached double figures in the frontcourt for the third straight game, while John Tonje quietly had 12 points, three steals, three rebounds, and two assists. Even the slumping Max Klesmit got going early with eight points, hitting two threes on passes from Blackwell.
“He wasn’t used to playing the point guard for us, specifically (last season) … but each game he’s gotten better,” said senior point guard Kamari McGee, who had 12 points (4-for-5 3FGs off the bench). “People may say he’s not a point guard. Honestly, in today’s game, there aren’t really any point guards. He’s just a good playmaker and a great scorer for us.”
Having scored in double figures in 12 of 14 games this season, Blackwell added eight rebounds and had a plus/minus ratio of +28.
“Whether it’s Jordan Taylor or Chucky (Hepburn), they’ve had good players at that position,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “He’s maybe a little bit different or a combination of all of them, but he can score. He’s playing with pace. He’s got really good feel, and he’s powerful. He’s a tough cover.”
Advertisement
Gard said Blackwell has a quiet confidence about him. It’s evident that it’s growing by the game.
Defense Locks In After A Slow Start
Defense was optional for both teams through the first 10 minutes. Iowa started 6-for-9 from the floor and was 10-for-17 entering the under-12 media timeout. UW wasn’t far behind at 5-for-7 and 9-for-16, respectively, but were giving up open threes and easy looks in the paint.
The final 30 minutes were drastically different, as UW adjusted some ball screen coverages, were better in limiting its live-ball turnovers, and slowed transition opportunities by taking some better shots. The result was the second-highest scoring offense in the country at 89.7 points per game was 22-for-49 (44.9 percent) from that point on.
“Once we realized they were just coming in here to try and outscore us and they really didn’t care much about the defensive end, we took advantage of that,” McGee said. “We didn’t know we were going to shoot this great tonight, but we trust our teammates and trust our players. We know we can score the ball in bunches. All we had to play a little more defense than them and the game is ours.”
UW managed to curtail many of Iowa’s power scores. While the Badgers let Drew Thelwell score a season-high 25 points, the Badgers held Payton Sandfort (16.5 ppg) to 1-for-9 shooting. UW got Josh Dix under control after he went 6-for-8 in the first half, holding him to 1-for-4 after halftime.
Advertisement
Most importantly, the Badgers made Owen Freeman work. Freeman leads the Hawkeyes in points (17.1) and rebounds (6.5) and had two double-doubles against UW last year. The Badgers made Freeman work Friday, as he needed 11 shots to get 14 points and finished with just three rebounds.
“I thought we did a decent job of keeping the ball out of his hands,” Gard said of UW’s defense on Freeman. “We were able to stop dribble penetration for the most part. At times you got to pick your poison with them because they have so many shooters around him. There was a shift at times between do we need to squeeze and play him more with help or do we need stay attached to more shooters. We did a combination of both.
“The other end was make good offensive players work on the defensive end. I think our movement and our unselfishness, especially with our bigs putting pressure on the rim … could have an effect.”
Carter Gilmore Was An Unsung Hero
Every great team needs a player like Carter Gilmore. That was Gard’s message when asked about Gilmore’s impact on Wisconsin improving its defense in the first half.
With Wisconsin wanting to be more mobile at the four, the Badgers played Gilmore over 12 minutes in the first half and 22:41 for the game, using him as a spy in the paint and on the perimeter at times in certain matchups.
Advertisement
The results speak for themselves. When Gilmore wasn’t on the floor in the first half, Iowa was 8-for-11 from the field. The Hawkeyes were 11-for-21 when Gilmore was on the court. The numbers could have been a lot better. Thelwell made an acrobatic layup high off the backboard on a play where Gilmore played textbook defense. He also took a lowered shoulder from Freeman in the chest as he stood outside the restrictive circle, a play that likely would have drawn a charge call two years ago (and perhaps should have still) but was whistled for a block.
In the second half, Gilmore helped hold Iowa to 6-for-17 when he was on the floor.
“He can really quarterback a defense in terms of what he can talk about, how he plugs holes, how he covers up mistakes for others,” Gard said of Gilmore. “The really good teams have a guy like that who understands their role and thrive in their role and make their team better when they’re on the floor.”
By The Numbers
26 – Wisconsin had a season-high 26 assists on 40 baskets. The Badgers have had at least 15 assists in 10 games.
17.8 – Scoring in double figures for the ninth time this season, Winter has now scored 15+ points in four straight games and is averaging 17.8 ppg and 8.5 rebounds over that stretch.
Advertisement
64.5 – Wisconsin shot 40-for-62 from the field. That’s UW’s best clip in a Big Ten game since shooting 64.9 percent against Minnesota on 1/3/87. The last time UW shot better than 64.5 percent from the field was a 105-76 win over Arkansas State on 11/6/2023.
67.7 – The Badgers poured in 21-of-31 attempts from deep, their best mark when attempting 10+ threes since an 8-for-11 (72.7 percent) output in a win over Indiana on 2/25/2010.
1993 – Wisconsin scored 100+ points in a Big Ten for the first time since a 101-87 win over Northwestern on 2/3/1993. It’s the most points scored by a Big Ten since Iowa scored 116 versus Northwestern on 2/8/1995.
_________________________________________________
Advertisement
*Chat about this article in The Badgers’ Den
*Check out our videos, interviews, and Q&As on our YouTube channel
*Subscribe and listen to the BadgerBlitz.com podcast (as seen on Apple, Google, Spotify and wherever you listen to podcasts)
Sprinkles early Wednesday ahead of a big warmup to end the week.
Advertisement
REALLY AWESOME TO SEE HOW FAR HOPEFULLY THIS CAN TAKE US TO MORE EXPLORATION. YES, YES, 100%. AND THIS MORNING, OTHERWISE NOT PERFECT. IT’S NOT TOO BAD. WE’RE WAKING UP TO A FEW SHOWERS ACROSS SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN, BUT IF YOU DIDN’T LIKE THE WEATHER YESTERDAY, WE ARE GOING TO BE DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT BY THIS AFTERNOON. HIGH TEMPERATURES YESTERDAY TOPPED OUT CLOSE TO ABOUT 34 DEGREES. THAT’S WHERE WE’RE SITTING FOR A LOT OF SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN RIGHT NOW. WE’RE GOING TO WARM UP INTO THE 60S THIS AFTERNOON. YES, SOME OF US ARE WAKING UP TO MAYBE A FEW SNOWFLAKES OUT THERE. MOST OF US ARE WAKING UP JUST TO RAIN SHOWERS TO KICK OFF THE DAY TODAY, SOME DRIER CONDITIONS SOUTH OF I 94 IN OUR VIEWING AREA RIGHT NOW. BUT YOU CAN SEE THE ACTIVITY THAT’S STRETCHING BACK WEST OF MADISON. JUST A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS AND SPRINKLES ARE LOOKING POSSIBLE THROUGH ABOUT 10:00. THERE’S RAIN ALL THE WAY BACK CLOSE TO WATERLOO RIGHT NOW, SO IT’S NOT GOING TO STICK AROUND THE ENTIRE TIME. WE’LL HAVE DRY TIME BETWEEN NOW AND 10:00, BUT ON AND OFF SHOWERS ARE STILL POSSIBLE. MILWAUKEE HAS HAD SOME SHOWERS THIS MORNING. YOU CAN SEE THE RAINDROPS ON THE CAMERA LENS THERE IN OCONOMOWOC, AS WELL AS BROOKFIELD. DELAVAN SO FAR HAS STAYED PRETTY DRY AND RIGHT NOW IT LOOKS LIKE RAIN IS A LITTLE MORE LIKELY. CLOSER TO AND NORTH OF I-94. RAIN IN MILWAUKEE RIGHT NOW. THOSE CHANCES STICK AROUND INTO THE MORNING. BUT THE BIG STORY TODAY IT IS THE WARM UP. IT IS GOING TO BE NICE LATER THIS AFTERNOON. SHOWER CHANCES JUST ABOUT 9 OR 10:00. THEN THE REST OF YOUR WEDNESDAY IS GOING TO BE DRY OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. ANOTHER CHANCE FOR SOME RAIN THAT MOVES OUT BY THURSDAY. BUT THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY, ANOTHER RAIN CHANCE IS ON THE WAY. MOST OF OUR DAYLIGHT HOURS ARE LOOKING DRY 56 DEGREES ON SATURDAY, DRY FOR SATURDAY. THEN WE’RE TRACKING. WILL TRACK MORE RAIN CHANCES SUNDAY, MONDAY AND TUESDAY AND A BIG COOLDOWN AS WE HEAD INTO TUESDAY. BY WEDNESDAY OF NEXT WEEK, TEMPERATURES COULD BE ON THE CHILLY SIDE. ONCE AGAIN. HERE’S FUTURE CAST. NOTICE IT’S MAINLY RAIN THAT WE’RE SEEING, BUT I CAN’T RULE OUT A FEW SNOWFLAKES HERE. OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR SO. THEN JUST SOME SHOWERS FOR THE EARLY PART OF THE DAY. AND THEN SUNSHINE IS BACK. IT WILL BE WINDY, SOME GUSTS AS HIGH AS 35MPH, BUT THAT’S BRINGING IN TEMPERATURES IN THE 60S LATER TODAY. AND THEN A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH AND RAIN CHANCES BUILD BACK IN REALLY FROM ABOUT 10:00 TONIGHT THROUGH ABOUT THREE, 4:00 IN THE MORNING. AND MOST OF YOUR THURSDAY IS DRY AND SUNNY. THEN NOTICE LATE THURSDAY EVENING INTO EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. THAT’S WHEN WE’LL TRACK OUR NEXT CHANCE FOR SOME RAIN. SO THE BOTTOM LINE, THE BIG CHANGE FROM WHAT WE SAW THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS IS THE TEMPERATURES WILL BE BACK IN THE 50S AND THE 60S TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY, AND REALLY THROUGH MOST OF THE SEVEN DAY FORECAST, WE HAVE RAIN CHANCES EVERY SINGLE DAY, BUT MOST OF THAT RAIN IS FALLING DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS, AND WE COULD HAVE A FEW SHOWERS LINGERING OR BUILDING IN IN THE EVENING OR LINGERING INTO THE MORNING. BUT FOR THE MOST PART, DAYLIGHT HOURS. AS WE HEAD THROUGH THE REST OF THE WORKWEEK IS GOING TO BE DRY, BUT WE DO HAVE SOME SHOWERS OUT THERE TO KICK OFF THE DAY. TODAY THERE COULD BE SOME WET ROADS FOR YOUR MORNING COMMUTE. RAIN CHANCES RETURN LATE THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. SOME SHOWER CHANCES LATE TOMORROW INTO THURSDAY, BUT AGAIN MAINLY OVERNIGHT RAIN CHANCES. SO THOSE 50S AND 60S WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO GET OUTSIDE AND ENJOY 56 DEGREES ON SATURDAY. RIGHT NOW, SUNDAY 70. THAT’S FANTASTIC. AND IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE A WASHOUT, BUT WE ARE TRACKING STORM CHANCES SUNDAY AND MONDAY. OH MY GOODNESS. HOPEFULLY WE’RE TURNING A CORNER, BUT IT IS STILL SO EARLY. FINGERS CROSSED. IT’S WILD TO THINK THAT WE PROBABLY HAVE SOME SNOWFLAKES AROUND RIGHT NOW AND WE’
Advertisement
Impact Day: Wintry mix to 60s in SE Wisconsin
Sprinkles early Wednesday ahead of a big warmup to end the week.
Updated: 5:46 AM CDT Apr 8, 2026
Advertisement
Editorial Standards ⓘ
Early rain showers Wednesday morning, with parts of the area seeing a wintry mix as temperatures start near freezing. Showers move out later this morning. Skies will gradually clear through the afternoon, with highs warming into the low to middle 60s.Rain with a few thunderstorms return late Wednesday evening and night. Rain will move out by early Thursday morning. Thursday will be a bit cooler, but still mild with a mix of sun and clouds. Another chance for rain returns late in the evening, with shower chances lingering into early Friday. Most of Friday is expected to stay dry, with highs in the low 50s.Drier Saturday with seasonable temperatures in the low 50s. Looking ahead, a more active pattern returns with chances for storms Sunday and Monday as temperatures jump into the low 70s. Rain chances continue Tuesday, with afternoon highs dropping back into the low 50s.
MILWAUKEE —
Advertisement
Early rain showers Wednesday morning, with parts of the area seeing a wintry mix as temperatures start near freezing. Showers move out later this morning. Skies will gradually clear through the afternoon, with highs warming into the low to middle 60s.
Rain with a few thunderstorms return late Wednesday evening and night. Rain will move out by early Thursday morning. Thursday will be a bit cooler, but still mild with a mix of sun and clouds. Another chance for rain returns late in the evening, with shower chances lingering into early Friday. Most of Friday is expected to stay dry, with highs in the low 50s.
Drier Saturday with seasonable temperatures in the low 50s. Looking ahead, a more active pattern returns with chances for storms Sunday and Monday as temperatures jump into the low 70s. Rain chances continue Tuesday, with afternoon highs dropping back into the low 50s.
OSHKOSH (WLUK) — The state defense lawyers association argues the judge made a mistake in allowing a Winnebago County jury to hear the case against Jason Lindemann, who crashed his power boat into a cruise boat.
Lindemann was sentenced to five months in jail and three years on probation and ordered to perform 150 hours of community service as a result of the July 9, 2022, crash between his powerboat and the On The Loos paddlewheel cruise boat. He was also ordered to pay $11,702.79 in restitution. The crash injured more than a dozen people.
Lindemann has appealed, claiming he drove his boat like “every boater does” and that the evidence doesn’t support the convictions. Prosecutors replied it believes Lindemann’s conviction should be upheld. Lindemann’s reply brief due is due April 14, then the appeals court will review the case and issue a ruling. That’s expected to take several months.
Advertisement
Surveillance video of a July 9, 2022, boat crash on the Fox River in Oshkosh. (Courtesy Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office)
On Tuesday, the Wisconsin Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers filed what’s known as a ‘friend of the court’ brief, offering its input on the issue of jury selection.
Brief from the Wisconsin Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers arguing for Jason Lindemann’s conviction in an Oshkosh boat crash to be overturned.
Click here to view the PDF file
Advertisement
It noted the extensive publicity on case, from the day of the crash, onwards.
“WACDL submits that a careful analysis of precedent, and a realistic assessment of the pretrial publicity at issue, require that prejudice be presumed. Lindemann’s community was sufficiently against him that drawing his jury from Winnebago County violated his due process rights. The circuit court thus erred in denying his request for a change of venue, and reversal is warranted,” wrote attorney Megan Sanders.
The brief also argues the judge’s faith in voir dire — the juror screening and selection process — was “unfounded,” given the case’s publicity.
It argues the convictions should be overturned.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (1)
Advertisement
“There is an effective solution for the due process problem at issue here. Case law supports it, Lindemann sought it, and the State — after explaining its concerns about proceeding in Winnebago County — declined to contest his request. Under these circumstances, and with no cogent rationale for keeping the case in Oshkosh, the circuit court erred in denying Lindemann’s motion for a change of venue,” the brief states.
A pair of John Blackwell’s former teammates wasted no time expressing how they felt about his departure.
The Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball squad took a huge hit on April 6 when its star point guard announced he’d be entering the transfer portal.
Blackwell posted a farewell message that received mixed reactions, but both Nolan Winter and Austin Rapp expressed their gratitude for getting to play alongside the Michigan native.
“My brother!! Coming into college with you, it’s meant everything to do it by your side. Through all the ups and downs we went through, I won’t forget a second of any of it… go do what you do JB. For life,” Winter wrote.
Advertisement
Rapp added, “Gonna miss big bro, appreciate this year with you John Blackwell.”
Winter has been with the Badgers since the 2023-24 season, the same year Blackwell joined the program. Rapp, the Portland transfer, only was able to spend one year with Wisconsin’s guard who averaged just shy of 20 points per game.
Badgers fans are still awaiting decisions from Winter and Rapp, though neither has indicated they’ll be continuing their collegiate careers elsewhere.
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.
