Wisconsin Surges with Statement Wins Over Illinois and Michigan State Behind Boyd, Blackwell
The Wisconsin Badgers just sent a message to the rest of the Big Ten-and maybe beyond. In a span of just a few days, they knocked off not one, but two top-10 opponents, taking down #8 Illinois on the road and then returning home to dominate #10 Michigan State at the Kohl Center.
These weren’t fluke wins. These were the kind of performances that show a team rounding into form at exactly the right time.
Let’s start with the win in Champaign. Illinois was without standout guard Andrej Stojakovic, who missed the game due to injury, but the Illini still had freshman phenom Keaton Wagler, who lit up the scoreboard for 34 points.
He was electric, but Wisconsin didn’t blink. They weathered the storm, executed down the stretch, and walked away with a gritty road win in one of the toughest environments in the conference.
Then came Saturday in Madison, and the Badgers didn’t just win-they put on a show.
Michigan State rolled into town fresh off an 85-82 win over Illinois, seemingly back on track after dropping back-to-back games to Michigan and Minnesota. But against Wisconsin, the Spartans ran into a backcourt buzzsaw.
Nick Boyd and John Blackwell were simply unstoppable. Boyd poured in 29 points, including five threes, extending his streak to six straight games with at least 20 points.
He’s not just scoring-he’s controlling games. Blackwell was just as efficient, dropping 24 points in only 27 minutes.
Together, the duo combined for 53 points-more than half of Wisconsin’s total-and nine triples. When those two get cooking, the Badgers become a completely different beast.
Wisconsin’s defense deserves just as much credit. The game plan was clear: limit Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State’s dynamic guard.
Fears still managed a double-double-14 points and 12 assists-but he had to work for everything, shooting just 3-of-12 from the field. That’s the kind of defensive pressure that doesn’t always show up in the box score but makes a huge difference in the game.
Forward Jaxon Kohler was also kept in check, held to just five points and seven boards.
Now sitting with two top-10 wins under their belt, the Badgers are entering the final stretch of the regular season with momentum-and confidence.
But the road ahead won’t be easy.
Wisconsin has one more ranked opponent left on the schedule, but the challenges don’t stop there. First up is a trip to Columbus to face Ohio State, a team the Badgers already beat 92-82 earlier this season.
Then it’s back home to host Iowa before heading out west for a tricky road swing against Oregon and Washington. While neither of those teams has made much noise in the Big Ten this year-holding a combined 5-22 conference record-playing on the road is never a given, especially late in the season when legs start to get heavy.
The regular season wraps with a home matchup against Maryland and a rematch with Purdue in West Lafayette. That last one will be circled in red.
The Boilermakers came into Madison back in January and handed Wisconsin a tough 89-73 loss. The Badgers haven’t beaten Purdue since the 2023-24 season, and they’ll be looking to flip that script before heading into the conference tournament.
Right now, though, Wisconsin is playing like a team that believes it can beat anyone. With Boyd and Blackwell leading the charge and a defense that’s starting to clamp down at the right time, the Badgers are peaking-and the rest of the Big Ten should take notice.