Wisconsin wipes out large deficit, downs Minnesota

Field Level Media|published: Wed 28th January, 23:37 2026

Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard watches a play against Michiganduring the first half at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026.

John Blackwell scored 23 points and Nick Boyd produced 19 of his 21 points in the second half as Wisconsin overcame an 18-point halftime deficit to rally for a 67-63 victory over Minnesota on Wednesday in Madison, Wis.

The Badgers (15-6, 7-3 Big Ten) trailed 35-17 at the half and took their first lead of the second half at 51-50 on Boyd's baseline jumper with 6:22 left.

The lead changed hands four more times before Lansgton Reynolds hit a 3-pointer to put the Gophers back on top 61-60 with 2:17 remaining, but Blackwell hit a pair of free throws to put Wisconsin up 62-61 with one minute left.

Isaac Asuma missed a 3-point attempt on Minnesota's next possession, and Blackwell answered with a 3-pointer from the top left to extend the lead to 65-61 with 19 seconds remaining.

The Golden Gophers' Grayson Grove scored on an offensive rebound to make it 65-63 with nine seconds to go. Blackwell hit two free throws with 7.9 seconds left to push the lead to 67-63.

Bobby Durkin had 20 points and Asuma added 16 for Minnesota (10-11, 3-7 Big Ten), which took its sixth loss in a row.

The Badgers rallied with a 15-2 run after the break, pulling within 37-32 on Blackwell's 3-pointer.

The Gophers stretched the lead to 47-39, but Wisconsin rallied within 47-44 on a Boyd 3-pointer and then a layup with just over eight minutes left.

Durkin had 17 first-half points to match Wisconsin's total at the break. Minnesota held its biggest lead at 35-15 just before halftime.

Wisconsin hit just 5 of 28 field-goal attempts in the first half (17.9%), including 4 of 16 from 3-point range, while Durkin made 6 of 7 shots and was 4 of 5 from long distance.

With Wisconsin making just 1 of 12 shots inside the arc, the Gophers had a 12-2 advantage in first-half points in the paint. Minnesota also had a 16-1 edge in points off turnovers off eight first-half miscues by the Badgers.

Those stats were flipped in the second half, as the Golden Gophers wound up with only an 18-15 advantage in points off turnovers and a 22-10 edge on inside points.

--Field Level Media