Ad Disclosure
Wisconsin guard John Blackwell makes decision on playing future, per report
By Paul Harvey
Published:
John Blackwell had a breakout sophomore season for Wisconsin, averaging over 15 points per game for a team that won 27 games and was a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Now, he’s reportedly in line to provide a major boost for the Badgers in the 2025-26 season.
According to college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, Blackwell is pulling out of the 2025 NBA Draft to return to school. The decision gives Greg Gard a massive building block and a potential No. 1 option for the season ahead.
This past season, Blackwell was Wisconsin’s 2nd-leading scorer, trailing only John Tonje, who put up 19.6 points per game with the Badgers. Now, Blackwell has a chance to blossom even further heading into his junior season in Madison.
As a sophomore, Blackwell averaged 15.8 points per game to go with 5.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists. The 6-foot-4 Blackwell was 1 of 3 Wisconsin players to average 2+ assists per game.
Blackwell’s overall shooting improved as a sophomore, but his 3-point shooting took a hit, shooting just 32.2% on 4.9 attempts per game. That will be a major area of focus if he wants to take a big leap this season, especially after losing Tonje, who shot the 3-point ball at 38.8% a season ago.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.