Wisconsin

How Wisconsin Badgers pulled off historic comeback win over Minnesota

Published

2 months ago

January 29, 2026

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How Wisconsin Badgers pulled off historic comeback win over Minnesota

Wisconsin overcame an 18-point halftime deficit to defeat Minnesota, 67-63. It was tied for the largest second-half comeback in the program’s history.
Guards John Blackwell and Nick Boyd scored 37 of Wisconsin’s 50 second-half points.
Improved shooting, defense and physicality were key to the Badgers’ second-half turnaround.

MADISON – Minnesota’s Niko Medved called it.

“We know [John] Blackwell and [Nick] Boyd – they’re going to really force the action here in the second half,” Medved recalled telling his team at halftime.

Blackwell and Boyd did exactly that as Wisconsin’s talented backcourt duo helped the Badgers overcome an 18-point halftime deficit en route to an improbable 67-63 win over Minnesota on Jan. 28 at the Kohl Center.

It was tied for the largest second-half comeback in program history, matching wins against Indiana in 2021, Ohio State in 1976 and Marquette in 1948.

The Badgers outscored Minnesota in the second half, 50-28, en route to the historic comeback. Blackwell and Boyd combined to score 37 of those 50 second-half points, including 15 of Wisconsin’s last 18 points of the game.

Box score | UW schedule

“We couldn’t put our heads down,” Blackwell said, “or we were going to lose that game. … Coach just challenged our leaders to be better. I think we did that in the second half. I think guys stepped up like BC [Braeden Carrington] and Jack [Janicki], and then we strung a great second half together.”

John Blackwell comes up big again in final minute

The double-digit comeback win – Wisconsin’s third in the month of January and second this season against Minnesota – was anything but a sure thing in the final stretch of a game that had a total of eight lead changes and three ties.

With 90 seconds remaining, Minnesota had a one-point lead and possession. Then Janicki came up with a crucial steal, and Blackwell gave the Badgers everything they could ask for from their star player in the last minute.

He drew a foul and hit a pair of free throws with one minute remaining to take the lead, came up with the rebound after Janicki got his fingertips on a potential go-ahead 3-pointer and hit a 3-pointer on the other end to give the Badgers a two-possession lead with 19 seconds remaining.

It’s nothing new for Blackwell, who had 27 points and a game-winning buzzer-beater against Minnesota 15 days earlier. The standout guard finished with a team-high 23 points and seven rebounds, marking his seventh consecutive game with a double-digit point total.

Blackwell and Boyd, Medved said, are “relentlessly aggressive.”

“You got to be able to take them on, and you got to be able to take them on without fouling,” Medved said. “We weren’t able to do that.”

Wisconsin’s improved shooting stood out, but comeback was due to much more than that

Wisconsin’s improved shooting was an obvious factor in the Badgers’ big comeback. After all, Wisconsin hit 70% of its shots in the second half after hitting only 17.9% of its shots in the first half.

But for as much as those numbers stand out, Wisconsin’s ability to do everything else – from defense to drawing contact – was a difference-maker as well in the comeback.

Wisconsin made more free throws in the second half (13) than it even attempted in the first half (four). Blackwell alone drew four fouls in the second half, and Boyd drew another four after halftime. That helped put the Badgers in the bonus for most of the second half.

“We initiated things better,” Gard said. “We were on attack mode better. We got to the free-throw line. … We were just tougher in all aspects of the game.”

Perhaps even more importantly, the Badgers showed improvement on the defensive end in the second half.

Yes, Minnesota technically shot a higher percentage in the second half (50%) than in the first (43%). But the Gophers turned the ball over on 29.6% of possessions in the second half rather than 9.7% in the first half and averaged fewer points per possession after intermission.

“Defensively, I thought we had more bite to us than what we did in the first half,” Gard said.

Wisconsin also made some defensive plays at critical moments that had an impact bigger than a glance at the box score might suggest. Janicki’s steal while UW trailed by one point is near the top of that list, as is the redshirt sophomore’s block with 45 seconds remaining.

“It was good for us to respond specifically from the defensive end,” Gard said. “Shots are going to come and go. They’ll fall eventually. But that other end is what got us back on track.”

That improved physicality was against a short-handed Minnesota team that was without leading scorer Cade Tyson, among others. The Gophers used only seven players, and three of their starters were on the floor for at least 38 minutes.

“Could you say that that’s a factor? Yeah,” Medved said. “But that’s not – everyone’s tired. I think we lose our focus sometimes in the second half. … If we’re going to say we’re tired, we’re just making excuses.”

Wisconsin’s rough first half starts with lack of shooting success, but also lack of physicality

Wisconsin’s rough first half was a continuation of the shooting woes that saddled the Badgers in the 73-71 loss to USC three days earlier.

After shooting 34.3% from the field and 24.3% from 3-point range against the Trojans, Wisconsin made only 17.9% of shots from the field and 25% from 3-point range in the first half against Minnesota.

It’s been quite the harbinger of the Badgers’ 2025-26 success, as they went into the Jan. 28 rivalry game with a 12-0 record when shooting at least 45% from the field versus a 2-6 record when falling short of that mark.

Of all the issues that Wisconsin experienced in the first half, though, the quality of shot attempts might be the last thing that comes to mind for Gard.

“It was how hard we were playing, how physical we were,” Gard said. “And then when you don’t play hard and you don’t play physical, you end up getting crappy looks. It’s amazing how that works when the ball doesn’t go in. You play hard, you play physical – man, it makes the ball go in. It’s magic.”

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin lawmakers look to join the ranks of states allowing online sports betting

Published

7 hours ago

March 19, 2026

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Wisconsin lawmakers look to join the ranks of states allowing online sports betting

MADISON (AP) — As sports fans wager billions of dollars on the NCAA basketball tournaments, Wisconsin lawmakers are taking a shot at an expanded sports betting plan that could bank big bucks for the state in the future.

A measure given final approval Tuesday would let the state’s tribal gambling sites start offering online sports betting to people anywhere in Wisconsin. But the bill is contingent on the signature of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, which is no sure bet. And it wouldn’t take effect until after the state negotiates new deals with American Indian tribes who would run the sports betting — long after the current basketball tournaments wrap up.

Here’s how Wisconsin and other states are approaching sports betting:

Sports betting is booming in states

Legal sports betting has spread from one state — Nevada — to 39 states and Washington, D.C., since the U.S. Supreme Court opened the door in 2018. If Evers signs off on the expansion, Wisconsin would become the 32nd state to allow online sports wagering, which is how most people place bets.

Across the U.S., state-regulated sportsbooks handled nearly $167 billion of bets last year, generating revenues of nearly $17 billion after winnings were paid out to customers, according to the American Gaming Association. That marked an almost 23% increase over the previous year.

Gambling in Wisconsin goes through tribes

Gambling is legal in Wisconsin only on tribal lands under exclusive contracts between tribes and the state. Sports bets currently can be placed only at certain tribal casinos, and online sports betting is illegal.

Under the Wisconsin tribal compacts, a percentage of the money tribes earn through that gambling is returned to the state. In 2024, the tribes paid the state just over $66 million from revenue generated at casinos.

Wisconsin proposes to follow the Florida model

Under the Wisconsin legislation, online sports betting would be allowed only if the infrastructure to manage the bets, such as computer servers, is located on tribal lands in the state. That approach, known as the “hub-and-spoke” model, already is used in Florida.

Supporters of the measure include several Wisconsin tribes and the Milwaukee Brewers. They contend people currently are placing bets using offshore sportsbooks or prediction markets or crossing into other states where it’s legal, including neighboring Illinois.

Republican Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said he opposes online gambling, but people are already doing it and “I would rather make sure that Wisconsinites have some sort of control over that.”

The legislation has drawn opposition from the Sports Betting Alliance, which represents FanDuel, DraftKings, bet365, BetMGM and Fanatics. They argue it wouldn’t make financial sense for them to partner with Wisconsin tribes, because federal law requires 60% of gambling revenues must go back to the tribes. They would prefer a state constitutional amendment opening sports betting to all operators.

“It is simply not economically feasible for a commercial operator to hand over 60% or more of its revenue to an in-state gaming entity, just for the right to operate in the state,” Sports Betting Alliance representative Damon Stewart said in submitted testimony opposing the bill.

Governor’s support is unclear

Wisconsin’s measure has divided Republicans since it was introduced last year. It took 12 Democrats joining with nine Republicans to pass the bill in the Senate. The Assembly, also controlled by Republicans, passed it on a voice vote without debate last month.

It now heads to Evers, who initially said he would sign it as long as it was passed in consultation with — and the support of — the state’s tribes. Evers has since raised concerns, noting last month that not all of the state’s 11 tribes are registered as in support. Evers’ spokesperson Britt Cudaback did not return a message seeking comment Tuesday.

Revenues from sports bets can take a while to start flowing

If Evers signs the legislation, Wisconsin residents may still have to wait to place bets through smartphones and computers. It often takes months to launch new sports betting programs.

North Carolina’s governor signed legislation in June 2023 to expand sports betting from three tribal casinos to online platforms. But online betting did not begin until March 2024.

Missouri voters narrowly approved sports wagering in November 2024. But it didn’t launch until last December. And the state has yet to reap a big windfall. Through the first two months, Missouri sportsbooks handled $928 million of bets, but that resulted in just $659,000 in state taxes.

Some states look to squeeze more out of sports bets

Since adopting sports betting, some states already have revamped their laws to try to take a bigger share of the money. Taxes have been raised or restructured in Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee and Washington, D.C. And Colorado and Virginia have pared back the tax deductions they originally allowed.

Illinois has taken multiple bites, most recently adding fees of 25-50 cents on every sports bet that gets placed. And Chicago began charging an additional 10.25% tax on sports betting revenues on Jan. 1.

Louisiana raised is sports betting taxes last year to help fund college athletics. The new law directs one-quarter of the tax revenue from online sports wagering to be split among public universities with Division I football programs and be used “for the benefit of student athletes.”

Collegiate prop bets face push back

Sports betting often involves more than just guessing which team will win. Some of the most popular bets focus on player performance, like how many points a particular athlete will score. Those proposition bets also have been at the center of recent scandals, with players alleged to have rigged their performance.

The NCAA in 2023 began encouraging states to adopt restrictions on bets involving college athletes. Since then, Louisiana, Maryland, Ohio and Vermont have joined the ranks of states banning individual prop bets on college athletes.

More than a dozen states place no limits on collegiate prop bets while nearly an equal number prohibit all such bets. Other states fall somewhere in between, including some that allow prop bets on collegiate athletes only for games that don’t involve their home-state schools.

___

Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Missouri.

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Wisconsin

Poll results show Wisconsin reaching Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament

Published

19 hours ago

March 18, 2026

Press Room

Poll results show Wisconsin reaching Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Wisconsin Badgers are set to meet High Point in the men’s NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 19. Will the Badgers advance? How far can UW go overall?

Earlier this week we asked readers to vote how deep of a run Wisconsin will make in the tournament. Here are the results:

Wisconsin will reach the Sweet 16

More than half of the respondents to our poll, or 56% of the 238 votes cast, predict the Badgers will make it to the Sweet 16. It would mark Wisconsin’s first trip to the final 16 since 2017, when it lost to Florida, 84-83.

What about an early exit?

About 18% of voters believe Wisconsin will bow out in one of the first two rounds, with 4.6% predicting a loss in the first game to High Point, and 13% envisioning a loss in the following round of 32.

Wisconsin as NCAA champions

Wisconsin will be crowned the NCAA champion on April 6 according to 4.6% of our voters, which ironically, is the exact percentage of voters who believe the Badgers will lose their first-round game to High Point.

15% of voters see Wisconsin’s season concluding in the Elite Eight, and 5% see UW reaching the Final Four before the run ends. 1.3% believe UW will reach the NCAA championship game but miss out on the crown.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin Senate passes NIL bill that gives Badgers taxpayer funding

Published

1 day ago

March 18, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin Senate passes NIL bill that gives Badgers taxpayer funding

The Wisconsin state Senate narrowly passed a bill to provide taxpayer funding for university athletic facilities.
The legislation allocates more than $14 million to UW-Madison and formalizes rules for athlete compensation.
It includes a controversial public records exemption for athletic department revenue information.
The bill now awaits a decision from Gov. Tony Evers, who has not yet taken a public stance.

MADISON – The Wisconsin Badgers are one step closer to receiving taxpayer support as they adapt to the changing college sports landscape.

With a one-vote margin, the state Senate on March 17 approved a bill to provide taxpayer funding for athletic facility debt service and formalize rules around name, image and likeness. Eleven Republicans and six Democrats voted in favor of the bill, while seven Republicans and nine Democrats voted against it.

The bill, which the Assembly passed on Feb. 19 with a 95-1 vote, now goes to Gov. Tony Evers’ desk. The governor has not publicly weighed in on the measure.

Neither the Senate nor Assembly debated the bill before their votes.

The legislation would allocate $14.6 million for debt service and maintenance of athletic facilities at UW-Madison – the one power-conference athletic department in the University of Wisconsin System. Another $200,000 each would go to UW-Milwaukee and UW-Green Bay for its athletic facilities.

It also would codify existing rules around athletes’ ability to profit off their name, image and likeness. Athletes also would not be allowed to sign NIL deals that conflict with the university’s existing contracts, involve the athlete’s performance or endorse tobacco, alcohol, gambling, banned or illegal substances or illegal activity.

The legislation also adds a public records exemption that has come under scrutiny from the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, among others. It would exempt “generation, deployment or allocation of revenue” by an athletic department “when competitive reasons require confidentiality.” UW officials have said they are only seeking to “codify our existing practice” of denying certain records due to student privacy law or competitive trade secrets.

Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh previously told the Journal Sentinel that “everything is on the table in terms of increasing revenues and reducing expenses” if the legislation did not pass in this session. He did not directly answer whether that would include cutting sports.

In a recent interview on WISN-TV’s “Upfront,” Sen. Chris Kapenga, R-Delafield, said Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, could face political consequences within his own party if he relied on Democratic votes to pass the legislation.

Asked about opposition to the bill ahead of the Senate vote, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, told reporters it’s a necessity in the environment created by the federal court settlement that allows compensation for college athletes’ name, image and likeness.

“You have to be able to adapt with the times,” Vos said. “I want the Badgers to be able to win. I want to be able to have college athletics for more than just a football and a basketball team, and I want to make sure that we can be competitive.”

Asked about concerns with the bill’s public records exemption, Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton, suggested that’s something Democrats may seek to change if they win a majority of seats in the November elections.

The Badgers’ efforts to secure taxpayer funding for facilities have come amid rising costs tied to athlete compensation.

Schools can share up to $20.5 million in revenue with athletes, with NIL deals supplementing that. McIntosh said in a public hearing that he has heard anecdotally about peer schools spending $10 million to $20 million “on top of that to have a successful football program.”

“I don’t want to have to choose between a competitive football team and a highly successful Olympic sport program,” McIntosh told the Journal Sentinel.

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