MADISON, Wis. – A wide range of emotions could be had after Wisconsin found itself down 16 points to the ninth-place team in the Patriot League, barely six minutes having ticked off the clock.

Panic wasn’t one of them for sophomore John Blackwell, not with all the time remaining and knowing the firepower on the roster.

“I trust our guys,” he said. “We’ve been down before. New starting lineup but some of the same guys on the team, and we’ve come back.”

There likely weren’t many of the 199 college basketball games being played on opening night that saw a 40-point swing, but that’s what Wisconsin delivered with an 85-61 victory over Holy Cross on Monday. It was a rollercoaster performance that showed the pitfalls and the potential of the new-look roster.

Here are my takeaways from the opener of the 127th season of Wisconsin basketball.

It’s been a long time since John Tonje felt healthy and comfortable on the court. His play reflected that with 23 points, five rebounds, and an assist.

“Last year redshirting, you kind of take basketball for granted,” Tonje said. “It was tough to sit out. I love basketball. It was great to come out here and have a start. Early in the game, we got to be more aggressive and figure it out.”

Tonje had originally planned for last year to be his final collegiate season, but that plan changed when he was limited to eight games at Missouri due to a reoccurring foot injury. Seeking a fresh start, Tonje saw an opportunity to be a focal point within UW's system.

He delivered on that vision by being active on all three levels, going 3-for-5 from two, 3-for-6 from three, and 8-for-8 from the line. He attacked the lane when needed, didn't shy away from shooting an open shot, and helped clean up his mistakes. After committing a turnover on a poor post-entry pass, Tonje hustled back and drew the charge. His 23 points are the most in a Badgers debut since at least 2000.

“He brings that veteran presence to the squad on the court,” sophomore Nolan Winter said. “Having him out there, he’s been around a time or two. He brings shooting. We saw it tonight. A great shooter who can get to the free-throw lane whenever he wants. It’s always good to have a guy like that can slow it down for us, give him the rock, and let him operate for us.”

One impressive aspect of Tonje’s night was his positioning on the floor. He played multiple guard positions and even worked at the four in stretches when the Badgers went with a smaller lineup, giving the staff flexibility that will be sorely needed as they try to figure out the right mixture of combinations on the floor.

“Every day we’re trying to get better,” Tonje said. “We’re learning from the last game and building every day. We’re going to learn from the film and try to get better every single day.”

Holy Cross sophomore Gabe Warren was just 2-for-10 from three-point range during his freshman season at Rice. He attempted only one perimeter shot in the Crusaders’ exhibition game, leading the coaching staff to label him “a non-shooter.” Oops.

Warren got hot early and scored 13 of his 23 points in the opening 5:39, helping Holy Cross score 21 points on its first 11 possessions.

The problems with gap presence, ball pressure, and allowing the Crusaders to get out in transition compounded the problem and dug the deficit.

Both head coach Greg Gard and Blackwell attributed the change in defensive tone to Kamari McGee, who checked in at the 16:13 mark and brought some intensity and energy off the bench fighting through ball screens.

“We had to be more physical,” said Gard, noting UW didn’t have a defensive foul for the first 12:14 of game time. “Crank it up a little more. As we did that, we were able to get them back on their heels a little bit and shut off the hot start they had.”

The start helped the Crusaders shoot 51.7 percent in the first half and led by one at halftime, but UW’s defense stayed relentless in the second half. Holy Cross went the entire second half without an offensive rebound, saw its three-point production cut in half, and its shooting percentage plummeted to 33.3 percent.

UW registered eight of its 11 steals in the second half, held guard Joe Nugent (one of the top shooters in the Patriot League) to 0-for-6, and limited the visitors to .734 points per possession in the second half.

It was the kind of pressure Holy Cross head coach Dave Paulsen admitted his team couldn’t replicate in practice. It also didn’t help that senior Caleb Kenney – the preseason defensive player of the year – lost a tooth and didn’t play in the final 16:50.

“The pressure really bothered us,” Paulsen said. “We were running things from further and further out. We didn’t make the reads we practiced in terms of backdoors and curls. We can’t replicate that physicality or length in practice.”

Wisconsin’s early deficit was partially caused by reliance on the open three-point shot. After Crowl opened the game with a three-pointer, the Badgers missed their next eight perimeter attempts, none more painful than Xavier Amos, McGee, and Max Klesmit all missing open attempts on the same possession.

The light bulb moment came after the ninth consecutive three-point miss, as the Badgers not touching the post was glaring. Of the first 12 shot attempts, only two were inside the arc.

Tonje helped UW find a rhythm with his work inside, which helped him outside. His two three-pointers were part of an 18-2 run that tied the game at 25. Others took advantage, too. Blackwell got points by finishing at the rim or getting fouled in the paint, showing quickness off the bounce to beat defenders. McGee converted layups on dribble drives as he facilitated the offense.

The attacking helped UW draw two fouls on five Holy Cross players, disrupting its flow offensively.

After not scoring in the first half, Winter showed his strength in the second half with a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor, doing some of his work with his back to the basket in what is a growing offensive skill for him.

“A little confidence booster, knowing that it’s a new season for me and I am going to play a little bit differently than I have in the past,” Winter said. “Coaches have done a great job with me and I thank them a lot for instilling that thought that I can have my back to the basket.”

Gard on his son Isaac scoring his first collegiate points

“It’s a credit to him. He’s put time into it. He’s made himself into a better player, got bigger and stronger. It’s amazing what a weight room four days a week will do for somebody. I’m standing there and I’m trying to get guys in the game. I knew the shot clock was winding down a little bit. Just the reaction of his teammates. To them, yeah, he’s coach’s son but he is one of the guys. It’s neat. It’s obviously cool for him.

“I don’t think his mom was at the game tonight. She’ll be pissed at me for not being here to see it live.”

8-1 – UW’s record in season openers under Gard, only suffering a 65-63 overtime setback vs. Saint Mary’s in South Dakota in 2019.

1976 – The Badgers went 16-for-16 from the free-throw line, the second-most made FTs without a miss in school history. The only better performance was UW going 22-for-22 vs. Purdue in February 1976.

11 - The Badgers went 11-for-31 from 3-point range. UW connected on 11+ triples in just two games last season.

+15 - Wisconsin out-rebounded Holy Cross, 38-21, including 10-3 on the offensive glass. That led to a 13-3 scoring advantage in second-chance points.

+ 35 – With McGee on the floor, Wisconsin outscored Holy Cross by 35 points.

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