Wisconsin Hands No. 2 Michigan Its First Loss in Big Ten Surprise

The dominant Wolverines have lost a step of late.

Aday Mara (left) and Michigan are 14-1 no longer. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

There were six undefeated teams in men’s college basketball to begin Saturday. Now there are five.

Wisconsin upset No. 2 Michigan 91–88 in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday afternoon, halting the Wolverines’ unbeaten start at 14–0 and giving itself a feather in its cap as it attempts to infiltrate the NCAA tournament bubble.

The Badgers trailed 38–37 at half, but squeezed out a three-point victory behind 26 points from guard John Blackwell. A 45.5% shooting performance from three helped overcome a 78.3% performance from the free-throw line.

UNDEFEATED MICHIGAN GOES DOWN!!!!! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/DGy2tPdPM5

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) January 10, 2026

For Michigan, the loss followed a scare on the road at Penn State Tuesday; the Wolverines pulled out a 74–72 victory over the Nittany Lions. They’ll head on the Big Ten’s Pacific Northwest swing over the next week, visiting Washington and Oregon.

Michigan and coach Dusty May are still pacing for the program’s best-ever winning percentage—the current record is .867, set in 1977 and tied in 1985. The Wolverines have one men’s basketball national title, an overtime win over Seton Hall in ’89.

Next up for Wisconsin: a visit to rival Minnesota Tuesday.

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