Austin Rapp's lift off the bench leads Wisconsin Badgers over Ohio State, 92-82

MADISON, Wis. - Austin Rapp had taken his demotion to the bench in stride, choosing to work to adjust to the physical Big Ten level instead of publicly griping about losing his starting job

The sophomore forward made his minutes count on Saturday, scoring 19 points in the first half and some gutsy effort plays to help Wisconsin knock off Ohio State, 92-82, at the Kohl Center Saturday afternoon.

Rapp was one of five who reached double figures, including 22 from John Blackwell and 21 from Nick Boyd, as Wisconsin (16-6, 8-3 Big Ten) erased an early double-digit deficit to improve to 14-0 on the season when reaching the 80-point mark.

Final #Badgers Scoring
John Blackwell 22, Nick Boyd 21, Austin Rapp 19, Nolan Winter 11 (11 rbds), Aleksas Bieliauskas 10 (7 rbds), Braeden Carrington 7, Jack Janicki 2.

Most points Wisconsin has scored against Ohio State in regulation since 1985.
— Benjamin Worgull (@TheBadgerNation) January 31, 2026

It's still a month away from March but Saturday's game had underlying postseason applications, considering both teams entered 1-5 in Quad-1 games, were ranked one spot apart in KenPom, and six spots separated them in the NCAA NET rankings.

It makes the home-and-home series between the two schools so important, especially for the Buckeyes (14-7, 6-5), who haven't beaten one of the league's top five teams and will host the Badgers in Columbus on Feb.17.

Ohio State hopes Rapp cools off by then.

The unexpecting spark Rapp provided was a jolt. Shooting 27.2 percent from three since moving to a reserve role, Rapp hit five three-pointers and scored 11 points in a four-minute stretch that gave UW a lead it wouldn't relinquish.

It's fallen to what is a growing category for Wisconsin as of late, falling behind by double digits and slowly chipping its way back into the game. It happened six times in UW's nine January games, and the Badgers came back to win four of them.

The deficit was as much as 11 points after UW started 2-for-11 from the floor, but the Badgers closed the first half making 18 of its final 24 shots.

While Rapp and the offense cooled in the second half, Wisconsin maintained a multiple possession lead with its defense. Limiting the touches of Ohio State's two leading scorers in John Mobley Jr. ( 9 points, 4-for-12) and Bruce Thornton (17 points, 6-for-11), the Badgers forced misses on nine of OSU's first 12 attempts and held the visitors to 40 percent in the second half.

Ohio State had a chance to increase the pressure down the stretch, but Braeden Carrington's hustle block on Christoph Tilly's layup started a fast-break opportunity the other way. UW cashed it in when Nolan Winter (11 points, 11 rebounds) easily finished Nick Boyd's no-look pass at the rim.

Instead of the Buckeyes cutting the lead to six, UW led by 10 with seven minutes to go and never mounted another charge.

What it means: Wisconsin would have loved to sweep its three-game homestand but rebounding from Sunday's bad loss to USC with consecutive comeback wins is an encouraging sign. Considering how similar these two teams are resume wise, winning the first leg of the home-and-home was important.

Star of the game: Rapp had only seven double-digit scoring games, just three coming since he was moved to the bench. He was on the ultimate heater in the first half, going 7-for-8 from the floor with five three-pointers in his first 11 minutes on the court. He didn't score in the second half but still found ways to produce with his rebounds and defense.

Stat of the game: Wisconsin dominated the paint against Ohio State and outscored the Buckeyes, 42-30, in the lane.

Reason to be Concerned: Wisconsin used its fourth different starting lineup when Jack Janicki started in place of Andrew Rohde, who didn't dress and had his right wrist wrapped. UW's perimeter defense was better as the game progressed, but the Buckeyes still made more threes than their average.

Don’t overlook: UW started 4-for-14 from the floor and needed a jolt, which is got courtesy of Blackwell. After hitting a three in front of the Ohio State bench, he caught the Buckeyes sleeping on the inbounds, registered a steal, and hit a contested layup for five points in three seconds. It was part of a 7-0 run that helped cut an 11-point deficit down to three.

What’s next: After playing four games in nine days, including three Quad-2 games, Wisconsin enjoys its bye week before traveling to Indiana next Saturday, the beginning of a challenging February. The Hoosiers (14-7, 5-5) have rebounded from a four-game losing streak (vs. Nebraska, at Michigan State, vs. Iowa, at Michigan) with consecutive road wins, including a dominate home victory over then-No.12 Purdue.

Senior guard Lamar Wilkinson is averaging 21.9 points in Big Ten play, but junior guard Nick Dorn has averaged 18.3 points per game over his last three outings.

Wisconsin went 24-3 against the Hoosiers from 2008-2022, but the two teams have split the last four meetings with each winning on the home court. The tip on Saturday will be at 11 a.m. CT and be televised on FOX.

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