Comeback kids strike again, as Nick Boyd and John Blackwell deliver a masterpiece for the Wisconsin Badgers

CHICAGO - The comeback kids did it again, thanks to the best backcourt in the country.

If there was any debate that John Blackwell and Nick Boyd are the best one-two guard punch in college basketball, the pair answered it with a masterful performance that included a combined 69 points in a 91-88 overtime victory over Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals at the United Center.

Boyd broke Blackwell's Wisconsin Big Ten Tournament record set Thursday with 38 points, with Blackwell close behind at 31. The pair had 41 of UW's 48 second-half points that erased a double-digit deficit in the second half, the sixth time since January 1 that the Badgers have done it in a win.

Playing without third-leading scorer Nolan Winter for the third straight game, UW's other starting three shot 5-for-22 while the bench managed only 11 points on 12 shots.

Blackwell and Boyd more than made up for it.

FINAL: No.23 Wisconsin 91, No.9 Illinois 88

The comeback kids have done it again.

Nick Boyd (38) and John Blackwell (31) just made the Chicago secondary ticket market for tomorrow plummet.

Bring on Michigan.
— Benjamin Worgull (@TheBadgerNation) March 13, 2026

Illinois went up 15 points with 11:34 remaining, overwhelming the Badgers with their ability to get to the basket, but Blackwell and Boyd delivered an elite-level of shot making that refused to let the the underdogs buckle.

Starting with Blackwell's personal 7-0 run, the pair scored 23 straight points for Wisconsin and orchestrated a 23-7 run that gave the Badgers their first lead since early in the first half.

UW scored on seven straight possessions but couldn't shake Illinois. Blackwell's two free throws tied the score at 78 with 52.1 remaining. First-Team All-Big Ten freshman Keaton Wagler's hookshot at the rim didn't connect and Wisconsin, choosing not to call timeout, ran the clock down as far as possible before Blackwell's deep three-point attempt rimmed out, leading to the second overtime between the two schools this season.

Overtime became an extension of the second half for the pair, who scored 10 of Wisconsin's 13 points. Illinois (25-8) went 4-for-12 in the extra session, as David Mirkovic was responsible for all 10 of Illinois' points.

Mirkovic (19), Wagler (19), and Andrej Stojakovic (17) reached double figures for the Illini.

Final possession from the #Badgers win, as Wisconsin holds Illinois to 4-12 FG in overtime pic.twitter.com/uHytZCwYWc
— Benjamin Worgull (@TheBadgerNation) March 13, 2026

The first half was defined by punches and counter punches.

Illinois surged ahead on a 23-3 run, a spark that started with points on consecutive possessions off offensive rebounds. It developed from there into a mixture of dribble penetration to the rim and then perimeter jumpers, an 8-for-10 stretch to ignite a partisan crowd.

UW only committed one turnover on Illinois' run, which came down to the Badgers not knocking down their open perimeter shots. After starting 4-for-4 from the field, UW missed 12 of 13.

Illinois' offense fizzled from there. The Illini closed the half going 2-for-11 from the field, including a stretch of eight straight misses where Wisconsin closed the gap to three on a 12-0 run.

UW stayed in the mix because it was competitive on the glass. After giving up 36 offensive rebounds in the previous two games, Wisconsin matched Illinois in offensive rebounds (five) and second-chance points (four).

The post defense fell apart coming out of the locker room. Illinois scored on its first eight possessions, all coming on either driving layups, baskets in the paint, or Illinois guard Kylan Boswell kicking out a pass to a perimeter shooter.

Trailing 60-45 after the Illini converted their seventh basket in the paint in less than eight minutes, Blackwell scored on three straight possessions and Boyd delivered a steal off Boswell and layup to cut the deficit to 60-54.

What it means: Just keep counting Wisconsin out, as the Badgers keep racking up wins that the outside world views as improbable but are just another day at the office for this resilient bunch.

Star of the game: Blackwell and Boyd were 1A and 1B for the Badgers, as the pair delivered one of the most dominant combo performances in the tournament's history.

Stat of the game: Despite not having Nolan Winter, Wisconsin outrebounded Illinois, 37-36, which included an 11-9 edge on the offensive glass and a 13-11 edge in second-chance points.

Reason to be Concerned: While Austin Rapp was the player who stepped up for Winter at Purdue, Wisconsin didn't have another scorer reach double figures in either Big Ten Tournament game. UW had to have another player threaten to make shots to open the defense, which didn't happen.

Don’t overlook: Wisconsin held Kylan Boswell to nine points and no assists before he fouled out in overtime.

What’s next: Wisconsin will try to replicate its huge January upset in Ann Arbor in Chicago tomorrow when the Badgers face top-seeded Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals

The Wolverines (30-2) registered their third victory of the season over Ohio State with a 71-67 win in Friday's first quarterfinals. Center Aday Mara was the individual star for Michigan with 17 points (7-for-11), seven rebounds, and two blocks, but the story was the Wolverines' defense holding the Buckeyes to 37.9 percent shooting, forcing misses on eight of the Buckeyes' final nine shots.

UW's 91-88 victory over second-ranked Michigan at the Crisler Center is considered the biggest win of the season, based on difficulty of the matchup. UW shot 50 percent from the floor, 15-for-33 from three, and got a combined 48 points from Blackwell and Boyd.

In a rematch of the 2017 and 2025 conference title games, Wisconsin and Michigan will tip at noon and it will be televised by CBS.