Nolan Winter will be playing bigger this season for Badgers men's basketball

Lakeville native spent time in the weight room this offseason and added some muscle.

Wisconsin forward Nolan Winter celebrates his basket against Maryland during the first half at Target Center in Minneapolis on March 14, 2024. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The final score doesn’t show it, but the Badgers men’s basketball team was on upset alert at halftime of its season opener against Holy Cross in Madison, Wis., trailing 36-35 at the break. 

But the Badgers outscored the Crusaders 50-25 in the second half to cruise to a comfortable 85-61 season-opening victory Monday night at the Kohl Center. Nolan Winter was a big reason why. 

The sophomore big man scored all of his career-high 15 points after the halftime break as the Badgers rallied. Winter shot a perfect 6 for 6 from the field, including four 3s, and also tallied four rebounds, two assists and a block with no turnovers.

It was the type of performance that would indicate Winter, a Lakeville, Minn., native, is primed to take a step this season for Wisconsin, and even more impressive considering he was questionable due to an injury coming into the game.

“It was a little confidence booster. Knowing that it’s a new season for me, and I’m gonna kind of play a little differently than I kind of have in the past, more specifically, last year,” Winter told reporters postgame. 

Winter said he'll play more in the post this season with his back to the basket, a product of him spending time in the offseason in the weight room with strength and conditioning coach Jim Snider and putting on weight. That new and improved physicality was something he showed off with a post up late in the second half of Monday's victory.

Big man Nolan Winter making his presence known for @BadgerMBB 💪#B1GMBBall on @BigTenPlus 💻 pic.twitter.com/6HrRgaq0Pz

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) November 5, 2024

Winter started the Badgers' season opener after coming off the bench last season, and his impact was immediate with his career-high 15 points. Last season, Winter averaged 2.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in 9.4 minutes per game. If the season opener was any indication, Winter should easily make a significant jump this year, which would be big for Wisconsin.

Winter was the No. 2-ranked recruit in Minnesota's 2023 class, according to 247Sports, when he committed to Wisconsin out of Lakeville North High School. There, he averaged 23.6 points and 11.4 rebounds per game his senior season while leading the Panthers on a state tournament run. Winter was the 2022-23 Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year.

Now Winter is continuing his development with the Badgers and was a key piece in igniting a second-half flurry that powered the season-opening victory. Winter will have another chance to showcase his improved physicality and post skills when the Badgers host Montana State on Thursday for a 7 p.m. tipoff at the Kohl Center.