It's been talked about all season that John Blackwell and Nick Boyd complement each other. They are the yin and yang of Wisconsin basketball this season. Blackwell has this ease to his game, and this calm demeanor, and Boyd is like the Energizer Bunny. However, after the loss to Oregon, let's ask a hard question that no one wants to stomach: could Blackwell and Boyd also be the Jekyll and Hyde problem for Wisconsin basketball?
We know we can give these two the acclaims for the big wins but do they also get the blame for the big losses? For while we know that Blackwell and Boyd are the two opposites attract and compliment in the big wins but are they like oil and water in the losses?
Are John Blackwell and Nick Boyd also the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for Wisconsin basketball?
Related: 3 frustrating reasons Wisconsin floundered against Oregon on the road
They have a shadow side to their chemistry that maybe needs to be revisited, and maybe ultimately can help them go forward if there's knowledge to it.
The biggest problem for Wisconsin this season is that they start flat in many games. They've been able to recover and win those games, but other teams haven't let off the gas (i.e., Nebraska and Oregon), only making UW's problems worse. Why is this?
Well, one theory, and granted it's just that, a theory. Is it that John Blackwell is the locker room leader, and Nick Boyd plays second seat? Blackwell has an ease about him, a calmness, a let-the-game-come-to-you, a-it'll-be-what-it'll-be persona. If other players try to replicate that, it will come out flat.
Even Nick Boyd can start this way in these games that struggle to find a pace early. He's forcing shots, or trying to be the hero, not enough defensive intensity, and you can see it ramp up as the game goes on.
Starting flat and playing hurried are both problems Wisconsin has had this season
However, there have also been a few games in which the energy has been at the extreme other end. Think of this Oregon game in the second half. It's almost as if Gard charged the team to be like Boyd. They all came out with more intensity, but they were out of sync. Throwing balls away, forcing passes, fouling like crazy, it was weird.
The oil and water came out in full force. The Badgers don't need just Blackwell or Boyd; they need them both to succeed. They have to find a way to get the juices flowing early but at a decent pace, get the energy high but with ease. They can't come out flat, and they can't come out with chaos.
The Boyd-Blackwell combo is electric when it works, like the plus-minus on a battery. But those batteries, when they aren't working, need to be recharged and replaced.