The Wisconsin Badgers had a huge week, beating the UCLA Bruins 80-72 at home before heading on the road and upsetting the No. 2 Michigan Wolverines 91-88 in the biggest upset of the year so far.
It was a much-needed stretch for a Badgers team that had been struggling to put together marquee wins this season, as they started the year 9-5 with every loss being a Quad 1 opportunity.
Well, they put themselves back on the map this week with a pair of wins, and it couldn’t have come without some big performances, especially in the Michigan game. One of Wisconsin’s stars did get some national recognition, as John Blackwell was named the Naismith Trophy Player of the Week on Monday.
Blackwell averaged 21.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in the two games this week, while being instrumental in the comeback effort against Michigan with a strong first half. Here were his stat lines from the two games:
Win vs. Michigan: 26 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers, 9/16 shooting, 4/8 from three, 4/6 from free-throw line, 39 minutes
Win vs. UCLA: 17 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 turnovers, 6/15 shooting, 1/9 from three, 4/4 from free-throw line, 39 minutes
Blackwell struggled in the UCLA win, especially from deep, as he shot a season-worst 1-of-9 with the volume, but he played 39 minutes in both games and rebounded well against Michigan.
It’s been a tougher year for the Badgers star, who has struggled a bit with efficiency, shooting only 39.8 percent from the field. He has gotten his three-point rate up to 36.2 percent, but he hasn’t been as efficient as he should be from inside the arc and especially at the rim.
He’s still averaging 18.0 points, a top-10 mark in the Big 10, while adding 4.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists a game. There’s still plenty of time for Blackwell to improve his percentages, and it’s his second weekly award of the season after he was named the Big Ten Player of the Week earlier this year.
