Wisconsin’s season opener had the kind of finish that leaves a fan base breathing a little easier and a little uneasy at the same time. The Badgers beat Denver 75-68 on opening night at home, and while the result was never in real danger late, the game spent enough time in uncomfortable territory to raise a few early questions.
The good news for Wisconsin is that its core group eventually settled things down. Owen Foxwell, Braeden Carrington, Nolan Winter, Austin Rapp and Eian Elmer did the heavy lifting when it mattered, and that was enough to get the Badgers over the line.
Foxwell set the tone with 14 points and seven assists, while Elmer and Carrington gave Wisconsin real scoring pop with 15 and 18 points, respectively. Carrington’s night was especially productive, and the Badgers leaned on him when they needed a bucket.
Winter’s scoring line wasn’t pretty - he made just three of 10 shots - but he made up for it everywhere else. He finished with 14 rebounds, four assists and three stocks, giving Wisconsin a major edge on the glass and plenty of extra possessions. Rapp and Onuetu also chipped in, even if neither looked like the best version of himself.
Still, the opener also exposed a potential problem: depth. Wisconsin didn’t get much from its bench, and Jack Janicki was the only player off the bench to play more than five minutes, aside from Rapp, who was effectively playing starter minutes anyway.
In a game like this, early in the year, teams usually use the opener to test the full rotation. Wisconsin didn’t really do that.
Instead, the Badgers leaned almost entirely on seven players in the second half. That’s not exactly the kind of workload that inspires confidence if the competition gets tougher.
Denver had its own answer for staying close, and it came in the form of Carson Johnson. The guard was a problem all night, finishing with 27 points, two assists and three steals. He kept Wisconsin on its heels on both ends, and the Badgers never found a clean way to shut him down.
Janicki and Elmer took turns on Johnson defensively, but neither could really slow him. Wisconsin knew he could be dangerous if he got rolling, and that’s exactly what happened.
So yes, the Badgers got the win. But the opener also gave them a little bit of everything: a strong showing from the top end of the roster, a glass advantage, a shaky bench and a warning sign in Johnson’s big night. It’s only one game, but there’s already plenty for Wisconsin to build on - and plenty to clean up.
In Other News...
Mason Posas Locker Room Message Should Alarm Every Wisconsin Fan
The Badgers 30-0 loss to Iowa left plenty to sort through, and linebacker Mason Posa did not sugarcoat the mood afterward. He called the performance embarrassing and pushed his teammates to do better moving forward, a blunt reflection of just how far Wisconsin fell short in a game that was supposed to be about steadiness and response.
Now the focus shifts quickly to Rutgers, with the pressure on Luke Fickell only growing as Wisconsin tries to stop the slide and avoid piling on more painful losses to familiar opponents. Posas message landed because it matched the moment: this is no longer just about one bad afternoon, but about whether the Badgers can show any sign of recovery before the season starts to feel even heavier. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Has A Few Clear Bright Spots After This Iowa Disaster
The 30-0 loss to Iowa was ugly enough on its own, but for Wisconsin it also reopened an uncomfortable trend, with the Badgers being shut out by the Hawkeyes for the second straight season. Even in a game that never found much rhythm on either side, there were a few individual performances worth sorting through, and that matters for a team trying to find any sign of progress after a day like this.
Domingeaux stood out as one of the few positive notes, while Josephs passing remained uneven and Jungs work in coverage slipped backward. Those mixed results only sharpen the bigger concern for Wisconsin, which is that the offense still struggled to generate anything sustainable and the defense had too many breakdowns to keep the game from getting away. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsins Opener Revealed A New Strength And One Lingering Concern
Wisconsins home opener offered an early look at what this team can lean on inside. In the 75-68 win over Denver, forwards Nolan Winter and Austin Rapp gave the Badgers a strong presence around the rim, while guard Braeden Carrington added 15 points to help steady the offense. The result was a solid first step at home, with enough balance to show why this group can be hard to handle when it gets the ball where it wants it.
Still, the shooting numbers left a familiar question hanging over the night. Wisconsin finished at 46.3 percent from the floor, but the Badgers went just 6-for-26 from three-point range, a reminder that the perimeter remains a work in progress even in a win. For a team that found real value inside, the next challenge is whether that interior strength can keep carrying the load if the outside shot stays inconsistent. [Read more 🡒]