Wisconsin Badgers' offense overwhelms Rutgers in 96-87 victory

Wisconsin Badgers push its winning streak to four games with a dominant offensive performance against the Scarlet Knights.

Wisconsin junior John Blackwell scored eight points in the first half, helping the Badgers take a 51-29 lead over Rutgers at halftime. | UW Athletics

MADISON, Wis. - A drop off in competition almost resulted in a drop off of Wisconsin's momentum.

After one of its best offensive halves of the season was followed by a inconsistent defensive one, Wisconsin had to hang on down the stretch to outlast Rutgers, 96-87, at the Kohl Center Saturday afternoon.

Senior Nick Boyd was the catalyst, scoring a game-high 32 points to go along nine assists and 14-for-15 free throws for the Badgers (13-5, 5-2 Big Ten), which pushed their winning streak to four games.

John Blackwell (19) and Nolan Winter (18) also reached double figures, as Wisconsin finished at 48.3 percent for the game.

Nolan Winter SLAMS it home 🙌 @BadgerMBB

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/Nw6ymo4R8v

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 17, 2026

Andrew Rohde scored only six points, but the senior had five assists and held Rutgers leading scorer Tariq Francis scoreless in the first half. A combination of Rohde, Boyd, and Blackwell held Francis to 13 points (6-for-16).

With a chance to cut the lead to single digits with two minutes left, Rohde's defense led to Francis attempting an off-balance shot at the rim that grazed iron, allowing UW to hit two free throws at the opposite end.

Harun Zrno had 21 points to lead the Scarlet Knights (9-9, 2-5), which shot 51.3 percent in the second half to make things uncomfortable down the stretch.

The game looked like the makings of a blowout early. With a combination of Winter taking advantage of his mismatch in the low post and Boyd facilitating, the Badgers shot 52.9 percent, hit eight three-pointers, averaged 1.457 points per possession in the opening half.

Boyd had 15 points and six assists in the opening half that led to 17 UW points, including the senior swinging a pass to Winter for a corner three before the halftime buzzer.

Slashed to the paint and finished at the rim with a scooping layup around forward Bryce Dortsch, while Rohde created open shots for Blackwell on consecutive possessions to keep

UW had to make shots because Rutgers wasn't missing. Down as many as 26 with 13:27 to go, Rutgers went on a 29-10 run to cut the lead to eight with 4:30 remaining.

The deficit wouldn't get any closer, as Rutgers didn't score on its next three possessions and made just 10 of its final 13 shots as UW pulled away.

What it means: The Badgers avoided an ugly Quad-4 loss by jumping on Rutgers early, which proved critical when Wisconsin almost gave it all back in the second half.

Star of the game: When things got tight, Boyd kept attacking the rim and drawing contact. He was the only UW player who scored after the 9:15 mark until 3:49, getting four of his six points from the foul line on drives to the basket.

Stat of the game: The difference in free throws were significant. Wisconsin went 26-for-29 for the game, including 19-for-20 in the second half. Rutgers finished 15-for-19.

Reason to be Concerned: Wisconsin's second-half defense wasn't nearly as stingy as the first half. Rutgers scored on its first five possessions and 10 of its first 12, averaging 1.917 points per possession entering the second media timeout. Rutgers hadn't scored more than 76 points in regulation against a Big Ten team all season but surpassed it with a handful of minutes to spare.

Don’t overlook: Boyd missed five consecutive shots at one point in the first half but kept attacking. He scored or assisted on 12 straight UW points in just over three minutes, turning a six-point edge into a 14-point lead and forcing a Rutgers timeout.

What’s next: Wisconsin will head east later this week when the Badgers take on Penn State this Thursday. The Nittany Lions (9-8, 0-6) have yet to beat a team outside Quad-4 (0-8) but have pushed Michigan and UCLA in recent weeks. Penn State's strong guard trio of Kayden Mingo (14.9 ppg), Freddie Dilione V (14.1 ppg) and Melih Tunca (10.1 ppg) are all averaging double-digit points, although Mingo has missed the last three games with an injury.

Thursday's game will be the "Return to the Rec," as the Nittany Lions will play in the more intimate Rec Hall (8,415 seats) compared to the cavernous Bryce Jordan Center.

After Thursday, the Badgers won't play another conference road game until February 7.

The tip in State College is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be televised on FS1.

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