The Wisconsin Badgers are now winners of two top ranked wins against strong programs in #8 Illinois and #10 Michigan State in two different environments.
After traveling to Champaign on Tuesday to face Illinois in front of a packed crowd, Wisconsin returned to Madison to defend their home court against Michigan State. Illinois entered the game notably down talented guard Andrej Stojakovic who suffered an injury in the game prior. The exciting freshman Keaton Wagler led the Fighting Illini with 34 points but his performance was not quite enough to prevent the upset.
Michigan State entered the Kohl Center in a similar fashion after defeating Illinois, 85-82, at home in their previous game. Prior to defeating the Fighting Illini the Spartans had suffered back-to-back losses to Michigan and Minnesota but managed to get back in the win column in a major way.
Against Wisconsin, however, the Spartans fell flat as the team had virtually no answer to the offensive assault that guards Nick Boyd and John Blackwell launched. Boyd led the scoring with 29 points and five three-point buckets for his sixth consecutive game with 20 or more points. Blackwell added 24 points to the effort while only needing to play 27 minutes against the Spartans.
Wisconsin Badgers Knock Off #8 Illinois, #10 Michigan State in Back-to-Back Games
The superstar guard duo of Boyd and Blackwell combined for 53 points which is roughly 57% of the Badgers’ point total against the Spartans. Nine three-point buckets between the two guards helped ignite the offense as Wisconsin seemed to hit massive bucket after massive bucket with another ranked win on the line.
Heading into the game the goal on defense was to find a way to stop the dominant guard Jeremy Fears Jr. and the Badgers delivered. Fears still recorded a 14-point, 12-assist double-double but the guard made just three of his 12 attempts from the field. Forward Jaxon Kohler was also stopped by the Wisconsin defense with just five points and seven rebounds to show.
While only one ranked opponent remains for Wisconsin the final stretch of the regular season will likely still be a difficult one. The Badgers must travel to Columbus to face the Ohio State Buckeyes once again after previously securing the 92-82 win earlier in the season.
After hosting the Iowa Hawkeyes, Wisconsin will embark on a road trip that includes stops at Oregon and Washington. Wisconsin has not faced either team this season but despite the travel exhaustion the Badgers should still secure two valuable conference wins. The Ducks and Huskies currently hold a conference record of 5-22 with the Ducks securing just one win (Maryland) against Big Ten opponents.
Wisconsin will finish the regular season against Maryland (Home) and Purdue (Away) before the conference tournament tips off. The Boilermakers visited the Kohl Center in early January and walked away with a big 89-73 win over the Badgers. Wisconsin last faced Purdue twice in the regular season during the 2023-24 season, dropping both contests.
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