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Wisconsin Badgers stun Minnesota with a historic comeback in 67-63 victory

Trailing by 20 points in the first half and 18 points at halftime, Wisconsin storms back to beat Minnesota for the 11th straight time.
Benjamin Worgull|
John Blackwell draws a foul and gets sent to the foul line in the second half. Blackwell scored a game-high 23 points as Wisconsin beat Minnesota on January 28, 2026.
John Blackwell draws a foul and gets sent to the foul line in the second half. Blackwell scored a game-high 23 points as Wisconsin beat Minnesota on January 28, 2026. | UW Athletics

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MADISON, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin spent the first 20 minutes looking like a group that couldn't throw a ball in Lake Mendota standing on the Memorial Union Terrace.

They spent the final 20 minutes adding another memorable chapter to Wisconsin's longest running basketball rivalry.

Down as many 20 points following a cringeworthy first-half performance, Wisconsin looked like a different coming out of the locker room in storming all the way back in a 67-63 victory over Minnesota at the Kohl Center Wednesday night.

Fifteen days after his three pointer at the buzzer sealed a win at Williams Arena, John Blackwell scored seven of his game-high 23 points over the final minute.

Nick Boyd scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half as the Badgers (15-6, 7-3 Big Ten) finish the first half of the conference schedule tied with Purdue for fifth place in the league standings.

How UW got there was a tale of two halves. After a passive start, where UW scored only two points in the paint, Wisconsin started the second half attacked relentlessly. UW opened the second half on a 10-0 run that eventually ballooned to 20-4, a combination of free throws, driving layups and finally falling three-point shots that got the Badgers back to within one possession with 10:37 remaining.

The Badgers finally got over the hunt after Boyd built off the momentum generating by Braeden Carrington's four-point play. That started a sprint to the finish with seven lead changes and three times in the final 6:22.

Bobby Durkin had 17 of his 20 points in the first half to lead Minnesota (10-11, 3-7), which
primarily played just six players after Cade Tyson (20.1 ppg) sidelined with an ankle injury. The Gophers had four starters log at least 36 minutes.

UW's relentless eventually wore down the Gophers, who committed 15 fouls and eight turnovers while managing just 20 shot attempts in the second half.

Minnesota's start almost made it stand up, as its packed-in defense prevented Wisconsin from establishing any kind of momentum on either end of the floor.

Instead of rebounding from a season-worst 34.3 shooting percentage in Sunday's loss to USC, the Badgers shot 5-for-24. UW settled for three-point jumpers early and then couldn't convert in the lane when it got there. The Badgers didn't make a two-point shot until one second remained on the clock.

Blackwell and Boyd were a combined 2-for-15, Aleksas Bieliauskas rolled his left ankle after landing on Winter's foot jumping for a rebound and didn't return after hobbling off, and UW was outscored 16-1 off turnovers.

What it means: Wisconsin can enjoy an 11th straight win over Minnesota - a new program record - knowing that the Badgers simply wore down an injury-plagued rival. No apologies in the Big Ten, especially when it would have been back-to-back bad losses.

Star of the game: Call Blackwell the Gopher Grim Reaper. Wisconsin was outscored by 15 with Blackwell on the floor in the first half, as the junior struggled with his shot (1-for-8) and turnovers (three). There was a 37-point difference in the second half, as Blackwell took control in the final minute with four made free throws and a three-pointer with 19 seconds left that was a dagger.

Stat of the game: Erasing an 18-point halftime deficit, Wisconsin tied its school record for largest second half comeback, done three previous times: 12/4/48 vs. Marquette, 1/5/76 vs. Ohio State, 12/8/21 vs. Indiana.

Reason to be Concerned: Wisconsin has become too reliant on the three-point shot, so much so that the Badgers will just keep shooting them instead of doing something to break the funk. UW corrected the program in the second half by drive into lane and be rewarded with points around the rim and foul shots. However, UW has to start doing that earlier before things snowball.

Don’t overlook: Bieliauskas returned to the bench with a walking boot on his left ankle. The Badgers don't have a lot of confidence in their frontcourt depth and missing Bieliauskas for an extended length of time, especially with a gauntlet of games in February isn't ideal.

What’s next: Wisconsin wraps its three game homestand when it hosts Ohio State on Saturday in the first of two meetings between the schools over 18 days. The Badgers and Buckeyes have similiar profiles - each 1-5 against Quad-1 opponents and with five spots of each other in the NET. Three of Ohio State's four conference losses have come to the top four teams in the league.

Senior Bruce Thornton is playing at an all-conference level, averaging 19.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game, with guard John Mobley (16.1), forward Devin Royal (13.9) and center Christoph Tilly (12.3) providing scoring support.

Wisconsin has won three straight against Ohio State and five of the last six. The afternoon tip is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be televised by FOX.

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Benjamin Worgull
BENJAMIN WORGULL

Benjamin Worgull has covered Wisconsin men's basketball since 2004, having previously written for Rivals, USA Today, 247sports, Fox Sports, the Associated Press, the Janesville Gazette, and the Wisconsin State Journal.

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