The University of Wisconsin-Madison Badgers opened their 127th season of men’s basketball (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) with a commanding 85-61 victory over Holy Cross at the Kohl Center Monday night. In his 10th year as head coach, Greg Gard saw his team rally from a slow start to dominate the second half, thanks to standout performances from John Tonje, John Blackwell and Nolan Winter.
Tonje led all Badgers with 23 points, five rebounds and two assists, while sophomore guard John Blackwell added 16 points and four rebounds.