Wisconsin basketball star guard John Blackwell dropped 28 points in Badgers win 84-69 against USC Friday.
After pouring in 15 points in Wisconsin’s Jan. 14 win over Ohio State, Blackwell dropped 16 in the first half to set the tone against the Trojans.
Blackwell scored three more points than the entire USC starting field in less than seven minutes to start the game. The Michigan native exploded with two three-pointers, two layups and a successful free throw to beat the Trojans 11-8 at the 14:05 mark of the first half.
The sophomore then remained silent for the next 11 minutes of play before adding five more points before the break. Wisconsin led 42-27 at this point, firmly controlling the contest.
Senior Max Klesmit stole the show in the second half as the Badgers faced a long scoring streak from USC. Blackwell also played a big role in this stretch, scoring several critical baskets inside.
With the game in hand, the sophomore closed out the contest with UW’s final four points. His final bucket, a one-handed dunk in transition, punctuated his 28-point masterpiece and Wisconsin’s 15th victory of the 2024-25 season.
Blackwell is scoring 23.2 points per appearance in the Badgers’ five straight Big Ten wins to start the calendar year. During that stretch, he lost at least 21 points three times. Its emergence is all the more remarkable considering Wisconsin’s remaining opponents — all Big Ten foes. The sophomore continues to play his best basketball as the competition gets tougher and tougher.
His performance against the Trojans has season averages up to 16 points and nearly five rebounds, second on the team behind wing John Tonje (18 points, five rebounds).
