Takeaways from Wisconsin Badgers' heartbreaking loss to Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament

The Wisconsin Badgers, playing without a pair of key players, fell short of their straight third Big Ten Tournament Championship game appearance.

Mar 14, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) dunks the ball against the Wisconsin Badgers during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

CHICAGO -- The Wisconsin Badgers Big Ten Tournament run came to a heartbreaking end at the United Center on Saturday.

After a miraculous comeback from 15 points down in the final 10 minutes, the Badgers were neck-and-neck with Michigan in the final minute, despite being without star center Nolan Winter.

Nick Boyd buried his first three-pointer of the afternoon to tie the game with 65 seconds remaining before Wolverines' forward and Big Ten Player of the Year Yaxel Lendeborg answered with a three-pointer of his own at the buzzer, sending the Badgers home.

Despite the sour end, it was a successful tournament for the Badgers, who showed their slew of regular-season ranked wins weren't a fluke.

More: Wisconsin's double-digit comeback thwarted by Michigan in the final second of the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals.

Austin Rapp Brings Badgers to life

By the time Wisconsin fell behind by 15 in the second half, Rapp had been 3-for-17 from beyond the arc at the Big Ten Tournament, and the Badgers had been outscored 26-11 since halftime.

Then, Rapp went on a massive heater.

The sophomore forward scored 18 of the Badgers' next 23 points, all of which came from beyond the arc. He breathed a bit of life into Wisconsin with each make, and when all was said and done, the Badgers led with three minutes remaining

"He's in (the gym) every day, getting shots up and putting work in. We know he can hit those," Andrew Rohde said. "To watch him and see him get that confidence after struggling for a little bit... that's what we need from him."

While Rapp's three-point barrage may have been shocking, it was just business as usual, according to his Badgers' teammates.

"We see it behind closed doors," Braeden Carrington said. "So, when it's happening, you're like 'okay, well, he does this every day,' so it's not too surprising."

Defense falters after strong start

It looked like a repeat of the 2025 Big Ten Championship matchup between these two teams early on Saturday, as the score was tied 28-28 at halftime behind strong defensive efforts.

The Badgers wreacked havoc on the defensive end, holding Michigan to just 26.7 percent shooting from the field and forcing eight turnovers. Four of those eight turnovers were steals credited to Nick Boyd.

"My plan today was just to go out there and
lay it on the line, whatever that looks like," Boyd said of his defense. "For me, it's not really about wins or losses, it's more about respect. I think we did a good job earning some respect around the country."

The Badgers, who had shown significant growth on the defensive side over the last few weeks, weren't able to match their first-half performance down the stretch. Michigan began to impose its will on the interior, making 13 of its 18 two-point attempts and scoring 22 points in the paint during the final 20 minutes.

"I think our transition D in the first half, and just limited their points in the paint, you know, helped us a lot," Rohde said. "In the second half, obviously, they had a lot of points in the paint and were hitting some of the shots we were giving them, but we were really trying to negate the stuff for their big man and just easy layups and things like that."

After Wisconsin bottled them up in the first half, Lendeborg and Aday Mara headlined Michigan's interior dominance during the second half.

Lendeborg went a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, including the game-winner, and doled out three assists. Mara went 6-for-7 on two pointers and pulled down five boards (two offensive).

Lendeborg, in particular, gave the Badgers headaches.

"The skill set is one thing, but when you combine that with his size, it obviously makes him a very unique matchup," Greg Gard said. "You've got a gut that can put the ball on the floor. They can try to post him. He can shoot the 3. They move him around, put him in some gap driving at times. He can ball screen. They can ball screen for him."

Michigan's length too much do deal with

The Wolverines are the best defense in the country for many reasons, but the length of guys like Lendeborg, Mara and Morez Johnson make scoring in the paint a nightmare.

"It's difficult to get over people like that, even when they're five feet away from you," Carrington said. "That arm, I mean, especially Mara, can reach out, and he can most likely get it. So it's tough. I think for a lot of people, it kind of makes them think a little more (about shooting it)."

Wisconsin made just seven two-point shots on the day and shot a worse percentage from inside the arc (30.4) than on three-pointers (42.1).

Mara and rejected five shots on the day, while Johnson swatted two and Lendeborg had one block.

Nick Boyd had a particularly difficult time scoring inside, going 4-for-13 on twos.

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