Wisconsin Rallies Again: Boyd, Blackwell Fuel Stunning Comeback Over Minnesota
If there's one thing this Wisconsin team has mastered, it's the art of the comeback. For the second time this season, the Badgers clawed their way back from a double-digit deficit to take down Minnesota - this time erasing a 20-point hole to pull off a gritty 67-63 win at the Kohl Center. It wasn’t pretty early on, but when it mattered most, the Badgers found their rhythm - and their stars delivered.
Let’s break down how Wisconsin flipped the script in a game that looked all but over at halftime.
A First Half to Forget
There’s no sugarcoating it - the opening 20 minutes were brutal for Wisconsin. The Badgers managed just 18 points before the break, shooting a staggering 5-for-28 from the field. That’s not just cold - that’s arctic.
They couldn’t buy a bucket inside the arc, going 1-for-12 on two-pointers, and the three-point shooting wasn’t much better at 4-for-16. The starting five combined to go 4-for-21, and not a single player shot better than 50 percent from the field. It was the second straight game where the starters came out flat, and it showed.
Minnesota’s physicality clearly rattled Wisconsin early. The Badgers struggled to penetrate the paint, often settling for contested jumpers or turning the ball over when they tried to force their way inside.
By the time the game reached the halfway point of the first half, Wisconsin had just six points on the board and trailed 20-6. That deficit ballooned to 27-9 with just over seven minutes left in the half, and the Badgers went into the locker room down 35-17.
It was a familiar script - Wisconsin also started slow in their first meeting with Minnesota. But just like that game, they had a second act ready.
Defense Sparks the Turnaround
While the offense struggled, the defense quietly kept Wisconsin within striking distance in the first half. Minnesota shot 43.3 percent from the field - not lights out, but enough to build a comfortable cushion. The real shift came after halftime.
The Badgers opened the second half with a defensive clinic. They held Minnesota scoreless for nearly six minutes, forcing four turnovers and cleaning up the glass to eliminate second-chance opportunities. That defensive pressure gave the offense the breathing room it desperately needed.
As the stops piled up, the energy in the Kohl Center started to swell. The crowd sensed a shift, and so did the players.
Over the first 9:30 of the second half, Minnesota managed just two field goals on seven attempts and turned the ball over five times. Suddenly, that 18-point lead was down to two - and the momentum had fully swung.
Boyd and Blackwell Flip the Switch
Nick Boyd and John Blackwell had a rough go in the first half. The duo combined for just seven points on 2-for-15 shooting, and their three turnovers only added to Wisconsin’s early woes. But in the second half, they looked like completely different players - and they played like the stars Wisconsin needs them to be.
Once the offense got rolling, it didn’t take long for Boyd and Blackwell to take over. In the first 12 minutes of the second half, Wisconsin scored 27 points on 9-for-12 shooting, including 5-for-8 from deep. Boyd and Blackwell accounted for 21 of those 27 points, going a combined 6-for-9 from the field during that stretch.
Boyd, in particular, caught fire. He scored 11 points in a four-minute span late in the game, hitting big shot after big shot to keep the comeback alive. The duo combined for 16 of Wisconsin’s final 23 points, sealing the 67-63 win with poise and clutch shot-making.
The Bottom Line
This was a must-win for Wisconsin, and they got it the hard way. After one of their worst offensive halves of the season, the Badgers regrouped, tightened up defensively, and leaned on their top playmakers to claw back into the game.
It’s not the first time they’ve had to rally like this, and that’s both a blessing and a concern. The resilience is real - this team doesn’t fold when it’s down. But the slow starts are becoming a trend, and in the Big Ten, digging out of 20-point holes isn’t a sustainable formula.
Still, a win is a win - and this one showed just how dangerous Wisconsin can be when their defense locks in and their stars get going.