Wisconsin will be looking to maintain its perfect home record when the Badgers host in-state rival Marquette in a nonconference matchup on Saturday in Madison, Wis.
Wisconsin (6-2) improved to 5-0 at home with an efficient 85-73 victory over Northwestern on Wednesday in the Big Ten Conference opener for each team.
Marquette (5-4) rallied to defeat visiting Valparaiso 75-72 in overtime Tuesday. The Golden Eagles will be playing their first true road game. Their two losses away from home were at neutral sites.
Wisconsin took control against Northwestern with a dominant first half. Junior guard John Blackwell had 23 of his 26 points to pace the Badgers to a 55-32 lead at the break.
Wisconsin had no turnovers in the first half and scored 18 points off seven Wildcats turnovers. The Badgers also had 15 assists on 17 field goals.
“That’s how good we can be,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said. “We’ve shown it in spurts. Now the challenge is you chase consistency, because the second half, we weren’t nearly as sharp. A lot to like, but a lot to build on, too, and a lot to get better at.”
The Badgers average 86.9 points and allow 73.5.
Guard Nick Boyd, a graduate transfer from San Diego State who also played on Florida Atlantic’s 2023 Final Four team, averages 20.9 points with a team-high 26 assists and Blackwell adds 19.0 points and 6.1 rebounds.
Nolan Winter averages 13.1 points and 9.4 boards per game.
Marquette overcame a six-point deficit in the final four minutes against Valparaiso, then scored eight of its 10 points in overtime from the free-throw line.
“There’s a lot of opportunity for us to really come together and around what’s required to compete to win one possession in a game like that,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart said. “And then you win one possession and then you go try to win the next one. Obviously, we’re going to go after it with everything that we have.”
The Golden Eagles average 81.4 points and give up 74.2.
Chase Ross averages 20.3 points and freshman Nigel James Jr. adds 12.3. Ben Gold adds 9.8 points and leads the team with 7.8 rebounds.
–Field Level Media
