Recent history suggests Wisconsin basketball is primed for a winning streak

MADISON, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin had every right to slump its way through a lowly nonconference game.

The Badgers were coming off a disheartening overtime loss to Villanova, the latest in a string of disappointing early-season performances. Beaten and mostly embarrassed against the best teams on its 2025 portion of the schedule, Wisconsin was staring at a lengthy holiday break shortly after the final buzzer sounded on Monday night.

Instead of sulking, the Badgers delivered a sound performance. With leading scorer John Blackwell sitting out with injury, Wisconsin got points from 11 players, shot a season-high 53.7 percent from the floor, and had a season-best 25 assists off 29 field goals in an 88-61 victory over Central Michigan.

The Badgers (8-4) have had a similar schedule for the last three seasons, playing a home game against a mid-major school in the days leading up to Christmas with a long break to follow. UW has won those three games by an average of 25.7 points.

From last night, a different cast of characters helped Wisconsin beat Central Michigan at the Kohl Center
Recap: https://t.co/mhLpdj5Q0r
Notes: https://t.co/Kp1ARjnCnB #Badgers Takeaways: https://t.co/YcV0XnD27M
— Benjamin Worgull (@TheBadgerNation) December 23, 2025

"They understand the history of the program and the pride that is in the program and how important it is to uphold that and continue to make the fans, the alums, and everybody that has been associated with the program proud," head coach Greg Gard said. "They take that really seriously."

The previous two years served as jumping off points for the program. Wisconsin won seven of eight after the 2023 holiday break and last year's team rattled off five in a row.

UW needs something similar to happen considering the Badgers, after hosting Milwaukee on Tuesday, host No.5 Purdue and UCLA before traveling to No.2 Michigan. UW sits at 67 in the NET rankings — the tool the NCAA Tournament selection committee uses to select and seed the 68-team field. UW has only missed two NCAA Tournaments since 1998 and is danger of making this season number three.

"The expectations come from the tradition we have," Gard said. "We've had a long tradition even before I got here. This program was going and being built in the right direction. To be able to have the consistency, the players understand what is important. The reason they come here (is) they want to be a part of something bigger than themselves, and they want to be a part of something special."

Wisconsin's best teachers of that tradition have historically been its veterans, experienced players who had started out cutting their teeth on the scout team and working their way up to the rotation.

The creation of the transfer portal has made building older teams easier but has taken away the process of long-term team building. UW has four seniors on its roster, three of whom joined the Badgers last season. The only UW player who has been with the program for four years is Gard's son, Isaac.

It's situations like this where Gard leans on a coaching staff deep with Wisconsin ties, like assistant coaches Sharif Chambliss and Joe Krabbenhoft and special assistant head coach Brad Davison, who all played for the program.

"I think that's really important of how they understand the history," Gard said. "They are extremely invested into this program. It's more than a job here. This is there pride and joy. They've sat in those guy's seats just like when they were younger."

Gard has had to lean on his staff to try to develop the level of play needed to compete at the Big Ten level. With a rotation made up of three returning players, four transfers, and three freshmen, Wisconsin has dealt with uneven play and costly shortcomings on defense.

After having their toughness questioned repeatedly in hard-to-swallow losses to Nebraska and Villanova, UW showed signs of coming together as a unit against the Chippewas. It's a level of play that met the staff's expectations, which won't be dropping.

"We’ve just gotten to the point where, as a staff, we said we’re drawing the line and we’re demanding that they reach where we need to be, not us meet them where they are,” Gard said. “They’ve got to up the ante, and they know."

More Wisconsin Badgers News:

Struggling Wisconsin looks to start finding its rhythm when it hosts Central Michigan

Greg Gard singles out players who earned more playing time after loss to Villanova

Wisconsin pursued Villanova star in transfer portal that could've changed season outlook

Wisconsin Badgers linked to impressive international recruit for 2026 class