Wisconsin
How John Blackwell’s game-winner happened, other takeaways from Wisconsin’s win
Braeden Carrington’s hot shooting against former school helps Badgers fend off Minnesota
Greg Gard discusses Wisconsin Badgers’ dramatic win over Minnesota
Wisconsin coach Greg Gard shares his opening remarks after the Badgers’ 78-75 win over Minnesota and John Blackwell’s game-winning 3-pointer.
MINNEAPOLIS – John Blackwell imagined the moment for a long time, going back to his childhood in the Detroit suburbs.
“I always think about it,” said Blackwell, who grew up as a fan of Jordan Poole and Michigan. “I was doing the runaway. I’m running away from my teammates, trying to see if they can catch me.”
All he was missing was hitting the game-winner. Well, that was until Jan. 13 when his Wisconsin Badgers were tied with Minnesota with 4.6 seconds remaining. That’s when he pulled up for a deep hesitation 3-pointer and hit it to clinch a thrilling 78-75 victory over the Gophers – and celebrate like how Poole famously did eight years earlier.
BOX SCORE: Wisconsin 78, Minnesota 75
“Go get the ball, keep your head up and go get a shot up,” Blackwell said, looking back at a lesson he learned at an early age. “So that’s what I did. And then I just went to my go-to move, hesi-three. And honestly, it looked good when it came off the hands.”
The game-winning buzzer-beater – the first for Wisconsin since Bronson Koenig’s shot in the second round of the 2016 NCAA tournament – capped off a roller-coaster win that included plenty of ups and downs for the Badgers. Here are three takeaways from the win:
Why Wisconsin (wisely) did not use a timeout before John Blackwell’s game-winner
Wisconsin walked away from Williams Arena with a win while leaving two timeouts on the table. Greg Gard said he did not plan on using one on the last play “as long as we have enough time and it felt like we were in motion,” and obviously Blackwell proved that 4.6 seconds was enough time.
“Obviously we always talk about trying to advance it and shoot it with your momentum toward the rim. So as long as I felt he had some space – which he did, he had the defense in retreat, had them backpedaling – [we could] put the ball in your really good player’s hands and let them make a decision.”
The resulting shot attempt from that, Gard said, is “going to be as good as any shot you’re going to get.”
“If I take a timeout with four seconds, five seconds to go, they’re going to set their defense,” Gard said. “Each situation is different. You just read and kind of get a feel for what the floor looks like when the ball does go in. And if you can catch them on a scattered floor, that’s typically the best way to attack in those situations.”
Gard indicated he was planning to use a timeout after Nolan Winter’s pair of free throws with about 12 seconds remaining. But Winter missed both free throws, keeping UW’s lead at three and voiding any opportunity to call a timeout.
“I thought we played in retreat too much,” Gard said.
Then Minnesota’s Cade Tyson hit the game-tying 3-pointer that Blackwell memorably turned into a moot point seconds later.
Braeden Carrington provided game-changing spark in homecoming
Wisconsin guard Braeden Carrington’s return to Williams Arena featured anything but a warm welcome.
The Minnesota fans in attendance at Williams Arena immediately booed the ex-Gopher guard when he first came off the bench at the 13:33 mark in the first half. The Minnesota crowd continued booing him throughout the game when he touched the ball.
“If you’re going to boo me, I got to talk back,” Carrington recalled telling friends who still are at Minnesota. “I can’t just let it happen.”
Carrington answered the Minnesota-cold reception with some hot shooting that led to a career-best performance and undoubtedly changed the dynamics of the game. His 21 points came on 7-of-12 3-point shooting, and he was only one 3-pointer short of tying the UW single-game record. He also had five rebounds.
Three of Carrington’s 3-pointers were part of a critical three-minute stretch that drastically changed the momentum of the game. Wisconsin went on a 14-0 run – with all 14 points coming from either Carrington or Blackwell – to turn a 57-52 deficit into a 66-57 lead.
“We shot some heat-check ones,” Blackwell said. “But I think when we get good looks like that, me and BC are confident shooters. … BC had it rolling. And it’s my job as the lead point guard out there when Nick [Boyd] was on the bench was to try to find him, and he stepped up and knocked the shots down.”
Wisconsin ‘had to keep fighting’ amid another double-digit deficit
Wisconsin’s win at Minnesota, Blackwell said, “never was going to be easy.”
“We just had to keep fighting,” Blackwell said.
That fight helped the Badgers come back to win after trailing double-digits for the second time in a four-day stretch. After overcoming a 14-point deficit against then-No. 1 Michigan on Jan. 10, UW found itself in an 11-point deficit early in the second half against Minnesota on Jan. 13.
The big deficit appeared to have a couple culprits. UW did not score at all in the last five minutes of the first half and had four turnovers in the last four minutes of the half.
Even more noticeably, Wisconsin’s defense was lacking as Minnesota capitalized on several easy looks from close range. The Gophers scored 22 of their 35 first-half points in the paint.
“We just took it on the chin and got better in the second half, and we shut off the things that they were getting so easy,” Blackwell said. “We stuck to the plan that coaches set for us and then trusted each other at the end.”
The Badgers’ second-half defense still was not perfect. In fact, Minnesota averaged more points per possession in the second half (1.290) than in the first (1.167) although more of those second-half points were either from the 3-point line or free-throw line.
“We haven’t been perfect by any stretch, but we have grown in our connectiveness and in our collective fight,” Gard said.
Manuel Franco claims his $768 million Powerball jackpot
Manuel Franco, 24, of West Allis was revealed Tuesday as the winner of the $768.4 million Powerball jackpot.
Mark Hoffman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Wisconsin Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 1, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from May 1 drawing
16-21-27-41-61, Mega Ball: 24
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 1 drawing
Midday: 8-3-1
Evening: 0-8-0
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 1 drawing
Midday: 4-5-0-8
Evening: 7-8-4-7
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning All or Nothing numbers from May 1 drawing
Midday: 01-02-03-05-07-10-11-14-15-16-17
Evening: 02-03-05-06-10-11-13-16-18-20-22
Check All or Nothing payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Badger 5 numbers from May 1 drawing
04-09-11-19-21
Check Badger 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning SuperCash numbers from May 1 drawing
16-18-21-22-28-29, Doubler: N
Check SuperCash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
- Prizes up to $599: Can be claimed at any Wisconsin Lottery retailer.
- Prizes from $600 to $199,999: Can be claimed in person at a Lottery Office. By mail, send the signed ticket and a completed claim form available on the Wisconsin Lottery claim page to: Prizes, PO Box 777 Madison, WI 53774.
- Prizes of $200,000 or more: Must be claimed in person at the Madison Lottery office. Call the Lottery office prior to your visit: 608-261-4916.
Can Wisconsin lottery winners remain anonymous?
No, according to the Wisconsin Lottery. Due to the state’s open records laws, the lottery must, upon request, release the name and city of the winner. Other information about the winner is released only with the winner’s consent.
When are the Wisconsin Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Super Cash: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 3 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 3 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 4 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 4 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- All or Nothing (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- All or Nothing (Evening): 9 p.m. CT daily.
- Megabucks: 9:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Badger 5: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
That lucky feeling: Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
Feeling lucky? WI man wins $768 million Powerball jackpot **
WI Lottery history: Top 10 Powerball and Mega Million jackpots
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Wisconsin editor. You can send feedback using this form.
MADISON, Wis. (WBAY) – The Wisconsin Lottery announced an exceptional number of winners from Wednesday’s Powerball drawing, including new millionaires from ticket sales in Pulaski, De Pere and Kaukauna.
The lottery says there were four $1 million winning tickets and two more that won the $1 million prize with the 2X multiplier, making those worth $2 million.
The tickets matched all 5 regular numbers but not the Powerball:
03-19-35-51-67
Powerball: 15
The $1 million tickets were sold at:
- True North Energy, 113 S. Wisconsin, Pulaski
- De Pere Mini Mart Citgo, 821 George St., De Pere
- Mobil, 1005 Crooks Ave., Kaukauna
- Pick N Save, 6462 S. 27th St., Oak Creek
The $2 million tickets were sold in northern and western Wisconsin:
- Brite Spot 2, 109 Silver St., Hurley
- BP, 810 W. Wisconsin St., Sparta
The Wisconsin Lottery says one explanation for the large number of winners is that those five regular numbers are all in the same column on the paper slip, making it easy for players to pick their own numbers going down the line.
Wednesday’s Powerball drawing had a total 62 million-dollar winners and another 27 $2 million winners.
Two tickets matched all five plus the Powerball. Those tickets, sold in Indiana and Kansas, will split the $143 million jackpot.
Including the new millionaires (minus taxes, of course), Wisconsin had 5,637 winners in the Powerball drawing, with prizes ranging from $4 to $2 million.
Winners can learn how to claim their prizes on the Wisconsin Lottery website.
Retailers will receive 2% of the prizes over $599 sold at their store from the Wisconsin Lottery’s retailer incentive program, up to $100,000.
Copyright 2026 WBAY. All rights reserved.
After a Wisconsin breeding and animal research facility that housed thousands of beagles agreed to sell most of their animals, some of the dogs will be headed to the Chicago area.
After weeks of protests over their treatment of the dogs, Ridglan Farms agreed to sell 1,500 of the facility’s roughly 2,000 beagles.
Activists who have accused Ridglan of mistreating the dogs broke into the facility last month in an effort to remove beagles that were being bred for laboratory testing.
About a month later, hundreds of activists and protesters returned, clashing with police, leading some to be tear gassed and pepper sprayed.
On Thursday, organizations separate from the activist groups reached a deal with Ridglan Farms to purchase 1,500 of the estimated 2,000 beagles housed there, and transfer them to rescue organizations around the country
“Today is about doing what is right for the beagles,” said Lauree Simmons, founder and president of Big Dog Ranch Rescue.
“This is really part of a larger effort to move our nation away from beagle testing, primate testing, and other forms of animal testing,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Center for a Humane Economy.
In a statement, Ridglan farms denied mistreating the beagles, saying they are “happy, healthy and well cared for,” adding “publicly available USDA documentation shows this has been the case for many years.”
Ridglan said they’re in the midst of finalizing arrangements for the remaining 500 dogs.
At PAWS Chicago, the city’s largest no-kill animal shelter, preparations are being made for the arrival of 25 of the beagles purchased from Ridglan Farms.
“I’m so very happy for them to start their next chapter,” said PAWS Chicago head of program operations Celene Mielcarek.
PAWS expects to receive the beagles from Ridglan Farms on Saturday, but it will take some time for them to undergo medical evaluations and adjust before they’re ready for adoption.
“We are going to be spending so much time allowing them to decompress; they’ll arrive at our medical center, they’ll get their initial veterinary exam, and we’re going to get to know each of them,” Mielcarek said.
The dogs will then adapt to home life with foster care before being made available to find permanent families and start their new life, like so many dogs that have come through PAWS before them.
“We want to be nimble and respond to the crisis at hand. Right now, the crisis is helping these beagles learn how to be dogs and find their homes with their families,” Mielcarek said.
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