Wisconsin Badgers vs Chicago State Cougars Picks and Predictions November 30th 2024

Unbeaten No. 15 Wisconsin Takes on Winless Chicago State

Badgers Look to Extend Best Start Since 2014-15

No. 15 Wisconsin (7-0) returns to action on Saturday afternoon when it hosts winless Chicago State (0-8) in Madison, Wis. The Badgers are off to their best start in a decade, mirroring their 2014-15 campaign, which culminated in an NCAA Tournament final appearance.

Wisconsin hasn’t played since securing an 81-75 victory over Pittsburgh last Sunday in the Greenbrier Tip-Off tournament, a game that highlighted the team’s growing cohesion despite significant roster turnover.

John Tonje Leading the Charge

Graduate transfer John Tonje has emerged as the focal point of Wisconsin’s offense after joining from Missouri, where he was limited to eight games last season due to medical issues. Tonje is averaging a team-best 23.0 points per game, including a career-high 41 against Arizona earlier this month. His free-throw shooting has been particularly stellar, leading the nation at 95.2 percent among players with 30 or more attempts.

Tonje’s impressive performances earned him back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Week honors, with his most recent accolade coming after a 33-point showing in the comeback win over Pitt.

“It’s like he’s been here four years,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said of Tonje. “He’s fit in perfectly within the culture, because he’s a really good person. He cares about his team, he cares about winning.”

Supporting Cast Shines for Wisconsin

The Badgers have leaned on other emerging contributors, including John Blackwell and Nolan Winter. Blackwell is averaging 16.0 points per game and delivered a career-high 30 against UT-Rio Grande Valley. Winter, who leads the team in rebounding with 5.6 boards per game, provides balance on both ends of the floor.

Offensively, Wisconsin is off to a historic start, scoring at least 79 points in all seven games — the longest such streak in program history. The team is averaging 86.9 points per game while holding opponents to 71.6. Additionally, the Badgers lead the nation in free-throw percentage (86.5 percent), making 147 free throws, more than their opponents have attempted (131).

Chicago State’s Struggles

Chicago State joined the Northeast Conference this season and has endured a challenging start. The Cougars are averaging just 59.1 points per game while allowing 84.4, leading to a point differential of minus-25.3 — ranking 351st out of 355 Division I teams.

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First-year coach Scott Spinelli faces an uphill battle with a team that lost 75 percent of its scoring from last season. The Cougars are shooting just 34.4 percent overall and 29.7 percent from beyond the arc. Jalen Forrest leads the team with 9.5 points per game, while Quincy Allen tops the rebounding charts at 4.3 per contest.

“We’ve got kind of a new bunch here of players, a lot of new faces,” Spinelli said earlier this season. “Really kind of a work in progress.”

Recent History

Wisconsin has dominated the head-to-head series, winning all three matchups, all in Madison. The most recent meeting was an 80-53 victory last December. The Badgers will aim to maintain their perfect record against Chicago State and continue building momentum as they look ahead to tougher competition in the coming weeks.