LOS ANGELES — — John Blackwell scored 28 points and No. 24 Wisconsin defeated Southern California 84-69 Saturday afternoon to extend its winning streak to seven games.

Max Klesmit added 18 points and Nolan Winter 13 for the Badgers (15-3, 5-2 Big Ten), who have an average margin of victory of 16.1 points during their win streak.

Saint Thomas led the Trojans (11-7, 3-4) with 19 points and Rashaun Agee scored 15. USC, which had won its last two games, led for only 49 seconds on Saturday.

Wisconsin had a 51-32 lead with 17:54 remaining before USC went on a 13-0 run. The Trojans eventually whittled it down to three before the Badgers regained control.

Takeaways

Wisconsin: Blackwell had his third straight game with at least 20 points. The sophomore point guard has 27 assists to 14 turnovers during the Badgers’ winning streak.

USC: Desmond Claude, who was leading the Big Ten with a 22 points-per-game average in conference games, was held to nine points.

Key moment

USC got within 55-52 midway through the second half before Wisconsin countered with an 8-2 run to get breathing room. Blackwell had the basket of the run with a reverse layup to make it 59-52.

Key stat

USC committed 16 turnovers which resulted in 22 points by Wisconsin. It is the second time in three games the Badgers have forced their opponent into at least 15 turnovers.

Up next

Wisconsin remains in Los Angeles to face UCLA on Tuesday. USC is at Nebraska on Wednesday.

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MADISON – Up until Saturday the discourse in the ongoing battle between Xavier Lucas and the University of Wisconsin has been one-sided with Lucas and his attorney offering their side of the story.

That changed Saturday.

Wisconsin issued a statement on the situation involving the freshman’s departure from the school, and it offered some interesting details.

* On Dec. 2, Wisconsin and Lucas entered into a two-year NIL agreement that included “substantial” financial compensation for Lucas that UW believes remains in effect and enforceable. The statement also said there was a separate agreement with the Varsity Collective, which connects Badger athletes with NIL opportunities.

* Wisconsin said it has credible information indicating impermissible contact between Lucas and University of Miami football personnel prior to his request to enter the transfer portal. Lucas announced his intention to transfer on X on Dec. 19.

“Direct interference with another institution’s committed player and contractual interests is prohibited by NCAA tampering rules and the law,” UW wrote in the statement.

Lucas, a 6-foot-2, 198-pound cornerback from Pompano Beach, Florida, and his attorney argue that Wisconsin wrongfully declined to enter his name into the transfer portal last month. Wisconsin said it did not process Lucas’ transfer portal request because it had a signed agreement that commits Lucas to the Badgers football program.

In a story published Friday, Lucas’ attorney, Darren Heitner, told Yahoo Sports that Lucas had unenrolled at Wisconsin and enrolled in Miami. That move could circumvent the transfer portal.

“Badger student-athletes who have signed these agreements expect Wisconsin Athletics to honor the terms. In turn, Wisconsin Athletics relies on the student-athlete representations in signing these agreements that they will do the same,” Wisconsin’s statement said.

Wisconsin said it will continue to review the matter and evaluate all options to determine the appropriate course of action.

“This is another significant moment in the evolution of college athletics,” UW’s statement said. “As we move toward a future state that will rely on direct contracting with student athletes, enforcing the parties’ adherence to contract obligations and addressing improper interference by other institutions must be a priority. The system cannot work without an operational model that both establishes and enforces agreed upon rules and regulations, and contractual terms that are binding on both institutions and student athletes.”

The Big Ten Conference stands with Wisconsin

The Big Ten Conference issued a statement later Saturday that supported Wisconsin’s position on the matter.

“As student-athletes become active participants in revenue sharing, it is critical that agreed-to-obligations be respected, honored and enforced,” the statement said.

The Big Ten also said the information suggesting tampering in this case by the University of Miami was ‘very troubling” and said “the situation is the latest example of the critical need for substantive governance reform.”

“These actions undermine the efforts of its own conference as the ACC continues its collaboration with the other A4 conferences in developing a sustainable framework for college sports.”

More: Wisconsin CB Xavier Lucas enrolls at Miami without entering transfer portal | Report

Former Wisconsin defensive back Xavier Lucas is initiating another “first” in the world of NCAA lawsuits. He is leaving his school without entering the portal, after he signed a revenue-sharing contract with Wisconsin. 

This case brings up yet another question regarding the new NIL and revenue sharing deals. If an athlete is getting paid by their institution, how does that impact their ability to transfer on a whim? 

Lucas was a freshman this year, and at the end of the football season last month, he signed a two-year revenue deal. After the deal went through, Lucas requested a transfer. Wisconsin refused.

The agreement he signed, which was a Big-Ten template agreement, binds athletes to their school, giving the school the right to use the player’s Name, Image, and Likeness. It also restricts other schools from being able to use the player for marketing, while still allowing players to sign outside agreements.

While at home during the holidays, Lucas learned that his father was suffering a “serious, life-threatening illness” and he wanted to transfer to be closer to home. By leaving, he would be breaking the terms of his agreement, and Wisconsin would not enter him in the portal.

Lucas hired NIL attorney Darren Heitner to represent him in a coming suit, when the two found a “loophole” in the NCAA transfer rules.

If Lucas unenrolls at Wisconsin, and enrolls at another school (Miami in this case), he would be able to compete immediately, skirting the transfer portal entirely. This is exactly what he decided to do, and he has already enrolled in Miami for the fall of 2025.

This is the first case of this nature, and Wisconsin could bring legal action against Lucas and Miami for violating the revenue-sharing agreement. If this happens, the case could set a precedent that would lead to long-lasting ripple effects across the NCAA.