7 thoughts from Wisconsin basketball's win over SIUE
One last home tune-up for the Badgers before heading to Salt Lake City to take on a highly-ranked BYU.
MADISON, Wis. — A backcourt tandem once again led the way to a University of Wisconsin basketball victory to start the season.
Guards John Blackwell and Nick Boyd found their rhythm from deep and at the free-throw line Monday at the Kohl Center, combining for 46 points during No. 23 Wisconsin’s 94-69 victory over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville at the Kohl Center.
Blackwell had a game-high 24 points on 6-of-11 shooting, while Boyd close behind in contributing 22 points (6-of-13 shooting). The two also made 9 of 13 from 3-point range.
Though both continued their strong starts to the 2025-26 season, they’re also opening up opportunities for their teammates as well.
“They’re super talented. They’re some of the best guards in the country,” Wisconsin forward Austin Rapp said. “So my job is to help them get open, but I’m helping them get open because I know that they’re going to find me when I’m open. And they do a really good job of getting downhill, and defenses collapse a lot because they’re so talented, going downhill and making plays.
“So I got a lot of open shots tonight, and I’m gonna get a load of them coming up here soon, just because how talented these guys are to my left, getting downhill, coming off ball screens, and they’re gonna find me too. That’s another thing. They have a really good balance of when to go get theirs, and then they know that they have shooters around them who are gonna make shots, and we just gotta continue to do our role and make continue to do our role and make shots and make their lives easier.”
Here are six other thoughts after the win for Wisconsin (4-0), along with postgame comments from Blackwell, Boyd, Rapp and coach Greg Gard.