Three Things About BYU’s NCAA Opponent: Wisconsin Badgers
Mar 21, 2025, 1:27 PM | Updated: 7:48 pm
DENVER – BYU basketball is preparing to take on the Wisconsin Badgers in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
It’s the first time BYU has reached the Round of 32 since 2011.
They will take on the Wisconsin Badgers, who finished in a tie for fourth in the Big Ten Conference. The Badgers are the No. 3 seed in the East Region and are playing in the second round of the “Big Dance” for the first time in three years.
Here are three things to know about the 27-9 Wisconsin Badgers, who defeated No. 14 Montana 85-66 in the opening round to set up a clash with BYU.
Top 25 offense and defense in efficiency
Wisconsin has a balanced team on offense and defense. The Badgers have the No. 13 adjusted efficiency offense in KenPom’s ratings and the No. 24 efficiency defense.
It’s the best Wisconsin offense since they reached the National Championship Game 10 years ago in 2015.
The Badgers had a little bit of a dip offensively against Michigan last week in the Big Ten Tournament Championship game by only scoring 53 points. But there was their fourth game in four days.
Wisconsin put up 85 points in the first-round win over Montana on Thursday.
What’s interesting about Wisconsin’s offense is they have big men who can knock down three-pointers.
Senior 7-footer Steven Crowl scored 18 points and hit two 3-pointers against Montana. His frontcourt teammate, 6-foot-11 Nolan Winter, has hit a three in five of the Badgers last six games.
Wisconsin star John Tonje is a Second Team All-American
Sixth-year senior guard John Tonje leads the Wisconsin Badgers. The former Colorado State Ram and Missouri Tiger is concluding his college career with Wisconsin.
The 6-foot-5, 218-pound Tonje is averaging 19.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists this season. He’s shooting 46% from the field and 39% from three-point range.
Tonje has five games this season where he has scored more than 30 points, including a 41-point performance against Arizona last November.
Along with Tonje, keep an eye on Honorable Mention All-Big Ten player John Blackwell. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard is active on the glass, averaging 5.1 rebounds per game.
Badgers are confident in their depth
Wisconsin doesn’t go 11-deep like BYU, but they still have confidence in their eight-man rotation.
During Thursday’s win over Montana, Wisconsin got an 11-point performance from Northern Illinois transfer Xavier Amos off the bench.
They also had another eight points from sixth-year senior Carter Gilmore.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
