John Blackwell has shown time and again that he is not afraid of challenges. In just his second year, he has grown into a reliable offensive weapon for head coach Greg Gard.
He has the same demeanor heading into their match up with Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday.
John Blackwell on playing at Purdue: It’s honestly a blessing that we are even in this position going into this game. Mackey is one of my favorite places to play. They are a well-coached team. It’s going to be a fun matchup.
— Benjamin Worgull (@TheBadgerNation) February 13, 2025
Blackwell made a leap this year, averaging 15.3 points per game from his 8ppg from last season. He is currently the second best scorer in the team, behind John Tonje who is averaging 18.6 points per game.
Purdue has been on mind since the last weekend, saying they need to stay mentally sharp amid their bye week.
“Mentally we just got to stay locked in. Sometimes you tend to lose focus when you have this time away from the game, so mentally we just got to be locked in and prepare for Purdue.”
A Purdue is on John Blackwell’s head
Trey Kaufman-Renn makes the most damage on opponents for Purdue with his 19 points per game.
However, for Blackwell, another player poses a more immediate threat ahead of their match up. That guy is junior guard Braden Smith.
“He’s a great player and he knows how to make reads when he’s on the ball. Different teams will throw different schemes at him, but he’s done well going against it,” he said as quoted by Badger Blitz reporter Benjamin Worgull.
Smith is the second best scorer in the team. He is also team’s top playmaker with 8.5 assists per outing.
Gard has the same opinion about Smith.
“He’s really smart and savvy, and competitive as heck.”
At stake in the game for the Badgers (19-5 overall) is the chance to get to no. 1 in Big Ten. A win will allow them to leap over Purdue and Michigan State who are currently no. 2 and no. 3.
Michigan Wolverines are currently no. 1 with a 19-5 record.
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