Wisconsin Badgers hang on after hot start to knock off UCLA, 80-72

MADISON, Wis. - Senior point guard Nick Boyd was adamant that the University of Wisconsin just needed one significant win to get rolling, believing he'd seen enough in the Badgers' growing list of losses against power-conference teams that success wasn't far away.

In large part to his performance, the Badgers can see if his premonition is correct.

With a combination of his passing, driving, and shooting, Boyd had his hand in a lot of things to help Wisconsin knockoff a shorthanded UCLA team, 80-72, at the Kohl Center Tuesday night

Boyd was an aggressive catalyst for the offense with a game-high 20 points to go along with eight rebounds, five assists, and two turnovers, while junior center Nolan Winter added 18 points and eight rebounds.

John Blackwell's 17 points and Andrew Rohde's 12 were their highest scoring output since December 6. More encouraging, however, was Wisconsin (10-5, 2-2 Big Ten) broke a two-game skid in Big Ten play by finding its three-point shot.

The Badgers enter last weekend averaging 10.5 3-pointers per game, which was tied for second in the Big Ten, but a 4-for-25 performance in an 89-73 loss to No.5 Purdue sunk that number.

However, Wisconsin strung together offense in the first half, executing on an early 13-0 run and an 11-0 run that was predicated by a three-point shot that had been missing in action.

After going 8-for-45 over the previous two games, its two worst shooting performances of the season, the Badgers went 5-for-8 from three over the first 8:14 with multiple scorers contributing.

Looking through a larger lens, after giving up consecutive UCLA buckets in transition, the Badgers went on a 28-7 run to build a 20-point lead.

UCLA cut a 21-point deficit down to four in Saturday's loss to Iowa, but the Bruins couldn't replicate that success with senior guard Skyy Clark watching in street clothes.

Not having the second-leading scorer and conference three-point leader due to a hamstring injury seemed to bog down the Bruins' offense. Leading scorer Tyler Bilodeau while point guard Donovan Dent didn't score for the first 12+ minutes and neither player attempted more than one shot in the game's first 10.

Without Clark's perimeter marksmanship, the Bruins (10-5, 2-2) went 0-for-10 from three in the first half and 1-for-17 overall. Eric Dailey Jr. led the Bruins with 18 points but needed 17 shots.

It was a theme for the Bruins, as Trent Perry needed 12 shots to score 15, Bilodeau needed 12 to get 16, and Dent needed nine to score 13.

The Bruins took advantage with Boyd on the bench with three fouls, cutting a double-digit deficit down to seven, but the senior didn't miss a beat when he returned.

Logging a steal against Dent, scoring a jumper in the paint off a missed layup, and hitting Winter for an easy layup pushed the lead to a comfortable 13 with 3:24 remaining.

What it means: It's not a Quad-1 win but it is a victory of signature quality for Wisconsin. The Badgers aren't going to apologize for beating a UCLA team without one of its best shooters either. As Purdue head coach Matt Painter said Saturday, it's not who you play as much as when you play them. UW got UCLA at the right time.

Star of the game: As noted above, Boyd was impressive with the way he was able to manage the game, but senior Rohde hit some big shots for Wisconsin in the second half when UCLA had cut the lead to single digits and Boyd was on the bench, including a corner three-pointer that pushed the lead back to 10. For a player who has been struggling with his shot, UW featured him in a lot actions and rim rolls and he responded with a sound performance on both ends of the floor.

Stat of the game: UCLA going 1-for-17 from three was huge, but the Badgers getting to the line and going 20-for-27 kept the Bruins at a distance.

Reason to be Concerned: Wisconsin didn't do a great job of shutting down the lane in the second half and allowed the Bruins to go 14-for-17 on layups and dunks.

Don’t overlook: Sophomore Jack Janicki hadn't made a three-pointer since the Big Ten opener on December third, going 0-for-8 over the last month-plus. He hit a pair against the Bruins, including one in the second half when the Bruins were making their run.

What’s next: Wisconsin will hit the road for two games and will start against one of the nation's best teams in No.2 Michigan Saturday afternoon. The Wolverines (13-0, 3-0) had been on a tear with nine of their last 10 wins by at least 25 points but survived with a 74-72 win at Penn State Tuesday, a game in which the Nittany Lions' questionable late-game offensive possessions allowed Michigan to escape.

With five players averaging double figures and another three averaging at least eight points per game, Michigan is No.1 in the NCAA NET rankings and No.1 in KenPom, which also ranks the Wolverines first in adjusted defensive efficiency and ninth in adjusted offensive efficiency.

Michigan has won four straight against Wisconsin, including a 59-53 win in the 2025 Big Ten Tournament championship. The tip is scheduled for noon central and will be on CBS.

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