Freshman John Blackwell is leading the charge for a much deeper Badgers bench this season

MADISON – Greg Gard’s team has navigated less than 20% of its regular-season schedule – just six of 31 scheduled games.

Yet as the Badgers (4-2) prepare to host Western Illinois (2-4) at 6 p.m. Monday, it is clear that the reserve power both coaches and players talked about before the season will be a strength of this team.

“This team does have a lot of depth,” Gard said, “a lot of people that can help at different times.”

Five of the reserves have played in all six games this season. That unit contributed a combined 22 points and 13 rebounds against Virginia in the opening round of the Fort Myers Tip-Off and followed that with a combined 17 points and 14 rebounds in the victory over SMU in the title game.

Let’s examine how the top five reserves are finding their roles:

Freshman John Blackwell has been terrific

Guard John Blackwell has been the most dynamic and most consistent of the reserves. He is averaging 10.2 points per game, the No. 5 mark on the team, and 4.0 rebounds in 18 minutes per game. He has hit 46.2% of his three-pointers (6 of 13) and 84.0% of his free throws (21 of 25).

Perhaps most noteworthy is that Blackwell leads the team in free-throw attempts. Tyler Wahl (24) and Steven Crowl (21), who average far more minutes per game than Blackwell, are second and third, respectively.

Nolan Winter, Connor Essegian, Carter Gilmore and Kamari McGee round out the top five

The other four reserves who have played in every game so far this season: Nolan Winter, Connor Essegian, Carter Gilmore and Kamari McGee.

Led by Blackwell, that quintet has combined to average 19.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. That group has combined to shoot 31.3% from three-point range (10 of 32), 47.5% overall (38 of 80) and 78.4% from the free-throw line (29 of 37).

Winter’s skill is obvious. Like most freshmen big men, he needs an offseason in the weight room and plenty of practice reps on defense.

He is averaging 2.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in 9.7 minutes per game and allows Gard to give Crowl time to rest. Winter will face bigger, stronger players in league play but is a threat from three-point range and runs the floor like a guard.

“Nolan Winter will help us even more as he gets more experience,” Gard said.

Essegian is fully recovered from the back injury he suffered in the opener and contributed five points, two rebounds and an assist in 13 minutes against SMU.

“He just hasn’t been able to find a groove,” said Gard, who has put Essegian on the scout team in practice to get him more shots under duress. “He got hurt, which set him back a little bit. He is healthy now. It’s just a matter of getting that groove that he needs to find.”

Gilmore is averaging 11.7 minutes, the No. 2 mark among the reserves. His best game this season came against Virginia, when he played stout defense and added four points and four rebounds in 13 minutes.

McGee appears more comfortable in UW’s system this season than he did las season after transferring from UW-Green Bay.

He takes a modicum of shots but he keeps the ball moving on offense and his defense has been terrific.

Gard has played guards Chucky Hepburn, Blackwell and McGee together to bolster UW’s defense. He has also used Hepburn, Blackwell and Max Klesmit. Either trio gives UW a solid defensive foundation.

“Guys have grabbed on and done well in their roles,” Gard said. “They always want more, which is good. I want them hungry. I never want them satisfied with the minutes that they get, but they understand that the team comes first. And every given night it might be a little bit different.”

How does Greg Gard decide when to utilize his bench what factors does he weigh?

After the victory against SMU, Gard explained what factors he weighs in tapping into the team’s reserve power.

Who is playing well? Who isn’t? Can UW get better matchups? Is someone in foul trouble?

“I watch facial expressions of the guys on the floor,” he said. “I can tell if they’re getting gassed, fatigued. And then sometimes I have one guy (ready) and by the time we get a dead ball I might have three more up there.

“Sometimes it’s to give us a little spark. Sometimes it is something I see out there that he needs to come talk to an assistant about that didn’t get done right.

“I have a pretty good idea of how long guys can go. And then when I start to see little redder faces, little slower up and down the floor, that tells me I’ve got to get them out before their tank really hits empty.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: John Blackwell leads active Wisconsin Badgers basketball bench