Indiana
3 takeaways from Wisconsin’s overtime loss to Indiana, aside from officiating
Nolan Winter comments on Wisconsin Badgers’ progress in overtime games
Wisconsin forward Nolan Winter commented on how the Badgers have shown progress in overtime games after UW’s 78-77 loss to Indiana.
BLOOMINGTON, IN – Wisconsin’s John Blackwell was visibly in disbelief, with his hands on the back of his head before appearing to plead with an official following a game-changing foul call in the final seconds.
The stinging moment – one that sent Blackwell to the bench with five fouls and one of Indiana’s better free-throw shooters to the line for the game-tying and go-ahead points – and another controversial call before that may stick in the craw of many UW fans long after the Feb. 7 trip to Assembly Hall.
But for as much as those final 15 seconds may prompt Wisconsin fans to say “what if,” the Badgers also had other shortcomings that led to a 78-77 overtime loss.
“We put ourselves in that position by not coming out strong,” Wisconsin forward Nolan Winter said. “We didn’t execute our offense. We were lost on defense early on. And then to put in the refs’ hands if you’re going to win or lose a game – that’s not what we should be doing.”
Box score | UW schedule | Standings
Here are three takeaways from the Badgers’ loss:
Indiana’s physicality put Wisconsin in challenging position
In a game where the officiating crew let each team play – without a free throw attempted until the second half – Indiana had a clear advantage in interior physicality.
The Hoosiers finished with 44 points in the paint – tied for the most by any UW opponent this season. (The Badgers’ other game with 44 points allowed in the paint was their 30-point loss to then-No. 22 Nebraska on Dec. 10.)
Indiana’s ability to score down low with ease masked the Hoosiers’ unwieldy 23% 3-point shooting. IU finished the game with 73.1% of its scoring coming either from the paint or the free-throw line.
Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said the Badgers needed to be better both in one-on-one situations and in their ability to “squeeze better and send some help.”
“We could have done a better job of keeping the dribble out of the paint,” Gard said. “We got beat off the dribble. We got spread out at times. … We needed to be better and more physical.”
Wisconsin showed some improvement in its physicality in the second half although Indiana still scored 29 of its 36 second-half points either in the paint or at the free-throw line. The Hoosiers’ only made field goal in overtime was in the paint as well.
“We were more physical for stretches in the second half, specifically the back half of that second half,” Gard said. “We had figured out some things – where we could help from, where we couldn’t. We just played more physical. I think that was the biggest thing.”
Nolan Winter offered consistency for Badgers’ otherwise-inconsistent offense
Wisconsin’s offense, which has experienced plenty of highs and lows in 2025-26, had another roller-coaster afternoon in the Badgers’ loss to Indiana.
UW opened the game with 3-of-16 (18.8%) shooting, as the Badgers struggled to score from seemingly any area on the court. UW bookended the loss with missing three of its four shot attempts in overtime.
But the Badgers also had a nine-minute stretch in the second half with 7-of-10 shooting.
Nick Boyd, the team’s leading scorer this season, made his first two shots before missing his next six attempts. Boyd ended up shooting 2 of 13 from 2-point range and 5 of 6 from 3-point range. John Blackwell, UW’s second-leading scorer this season, had two first-half points on 1-of-8 shooting before finishing with 18 points.
Andrew Rohde suffered from unusually cold shooting throughout the day, going 2 of 10. Braeden Carrington similarly was 2 of 8.
Seemingly the one constant on the offensive end was Nolan Winter, who finished with a team-high 26 points on 9-of-13 shooting. (The rest of the Badgers shot 31% from the field and 29% from 3-point range.)
He scored 10 of those points in the final eight-plus minutes of the first half, helping the Badgers shrink their deficit from 14 to six at halftime.
His three 3-pointers made were second on UW behind Boyd’s five. Some of Winter’s scoring also was the result of UW taking advantage of how Indiana switched on ball screens.
“We found him,” Gard said. “I thought we could have found him more. I thought we missed him a lot in the first half. But he found himself in a good position, and obviously he made plays.”
Wisconsin was in prime position to ‘shut the door’ in regulation
Wisconsin’s resilience was again on display in the second half as it came back from a 11-point deficit with fewer than 10 minutes remaining in regulation to take its first lead with fewer than two minutes remaining.
“Obviously we put ourselves in some situations early on where it was going to be tough to come back, and we came together and we did it,” Winter said.
That followed a month of January that featured a 14-point comeback against then-No. 1 Michigan, 20 and 11-point comebacks against Minnesota and an 11-point comeback against Ohio State.
Blackwell’s fadeaway jumper gave UW a 69-68 lead, and then Winter hit a 3-pointer on the subsequent possession to expand the lead to 72-68. The college basketball analytics site KenPom gave Wisconsin an 85.5% chance of winning after Winter’s timely shot.
But then Lamar Wilkerson quickly got to the line and made a pair of free throws to make it a 72-70 game. Rohde missed an open 3-point look, and Wilkerson drew another foul and made the game-tying free throws.
There was enough time for UW to draw up a play that gave Blackwell a chance at another game-winner. His fadeaway attempt was off the mark, though, leading to an overtime period that ended with two controversial foul calls and two more consequential Wilkerson free throws.
“We had ourselves in a position where we needed to shut the door on this thing, and it didn’t happen,” Gard said.
Fairfield native, David K. Wells, 69, and his wife Aileen, were found dead inside their home in Newburgh, Indiana, Monday night. Warrick County Sheriff Michael Wilder said that deputies responded to the residence just before 8:00 p.m. after dispatch received a call around 7:40 p.m. from a friend of the family requesting a welfare check. When officers didn’t get an answer at the door, they entered through the back of the home and found the couple deceased. Officers cleared the home and waited for detectives to arrive. Investigators also obtained a search warrant to do a further examination of the residence. Authorities were able to notify family members and conduct interviews to gather additional information. Sheriff Wilder said investigators believe the couple had been dead for less than 24 hours before they were found. He also said there is no indication of any forced entry or an intruder. Sheriff Wilder has not made a formal determination as to what happened. Autopsies for the couple were scheduled for yesterday morning to help determine a cause. David Wells grew up in Fairfield and graduated from Fairfield High School in 1975. He had a long career in television commercial production in Evansville and had more recently operated the Cigar! Cigar! tobacco store in Evansville.
INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — Indiana saw a significant decline in veteran homelessness last year, despite the total number of homelessness rising across the state.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) annual estimation of the homeless population, known as the Point in Time (PIT) count, Indiana saw an 18.7% decline in veteran homelessness in 2025 compared to the year before.
That marked the second-largest decline of any state by percentage.
Helping Veterans and Families (HVAF) of Indiana specializes in assistance for veterans facing homelessness. CEO Emmy Hildebrand told News 8 the formula that’s finding success is the same that works with any at-risk group: housing and wrap-around services.
Hildebrand said that the formula needs support from the state.
“There is no state funding supporting homeless services in our state,” Hildebrand said. “And very little local funding outside Indianapolis.”
Safety net programs have faced budget cuts, with lawmakers eliminating funding for the Housing First program in 2025. It supported organizations helping people secure stable housing.
And housing advocates have criticized Indiana’s public camping ban as essentially making it illegal to be homeless.
HVAF client Terri Massey, a 34-year-old Navy veteran, said the stigma of being homeless was the most difficult challenge to overcome.
“I’m still trying to provide for my kids,” Massey said “I’m (not) out here being lazy or not trying to do better.”
Massey was working, supporting her children, but found herself sleeping in cars and hotel rooms because she didn’t have stable housing. “Going to that work, working 10 hours, leaving, going to sleep in my car.”
HVAF helped place Massey in a permanent apartment. HVAF also placed Massey in a different kind of “bootcamp” years after her time in the military, learning job skills. She’s looking for a job, but thankful to do it from a place she can call home.
“I am beyond grateful and thankful. I literally pray and thank God every day,” Massey said. “Because for the longest I felt like I was alone. And I had to figure everything out by myself. I didn’t.”
It’s estimated that seven percent of Indiana’s homeless are veterans. Hildebrand said there are federal funds for organizations working with veterans, which support HVAF’s programs.
Still, finding permanent housing is a struggle.
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, for every 100 extremely low-income households in Indiana, just 34 rental homes are affordable and available.
“There are so many people on the bubble that are just one emergency away from living in their car, staying with friends and family, or living on the streets because we don’t have the appropriate system here in Indiana,” Hildebrand said.
Hildebrand said lawmakers assured her they would work to support homeless services, but she hasn’t seen any drafted legislation that might be introduced in the next legislative session.
Across the country, about one in 25 people experiencing homelessness previously served active duty in the armed forces, according to numbers from HUD. Veteran homelessness declined 56% between 2009 and 2025.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has issued an Air Quality Action Day for July 8th in Northwest Indiana.
Ozone levels are expected to be in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range, also known as the “orange” level. While not everyone will notice or be effected by the conditions, and while they may not be as severe as recent wildfire smoke events, individuals with asthma, COPD, and other health issues should proceed with caution when exercising outside.
Ozone levels are expected to be in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range, also known as the “orange” level. (WSBT Photo)
The affected area is all of Northwest Indiana, including the cities of: Crown Point, Gary, Hammond, Kentland, LaPorte, Michigan City, Portage, Rensselaer, Valparaiso and all other cities in the region, especially those near Lake Michigan.
Warm temperatures, mostly sunny skies, and light and varied winds coming off of Lake Michigan are expected to contribute to elevated ozone levels.
To stay up to date on issuances and quality levels in Indiana, visit SmogWatch.IN.gov.
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