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Wisconsin Badgers tie school record with second-half comeback over Minnesota

Wisconsin moves into a tie for fifth place in the Big Ten standings as the conference season hits the halfway point.
Benjamin Worgull|
Nick Boyd (2) hypes up the crowd as Braeden Carringon (left), John Blackwell (background) and Jack Janicki (5) look on.
Nick Boyd (2) hypes up the crowd as Braeden Carringon (left), John Blackwell (background) and Jack Janicki (5) look on. | UW Athletics

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MADISON, Wis. - News and notes from Wisconsin's 67-63 victory over Minnesota, improving the Badgers to 15-6 overall and 7-3 in the Big Ten at the conference season's midpoint.

Team notes

The Badgers have now opened conference play with a mark of 7-3 or better for the sixth time in 11 seasons under head coach Greg Gard.

UW won its 11th straight against Minnesota, marking the school's longest all-time win streak vs. the Gophers.

The Badgers' 11 straight wins also equals the third-longest win streak ever against Minnesota, trailing a 19-game win streak by Illinois (2000-08) and a 15-game win streak by Illinois (1982-89). Purdue (1983-88) and Ohio State (1958-64) also had 11 straight wins over the Gophers.

Wisconsin improved to 22-2 all-time against Minnesota at the Kohl Center.

Overall, the Badgers own a 112-104 edge in the all-time season, including wins in 20 of the last 22 meetings.

The Badgers are now 11-2 at home this season and have won 26 of their last 30 home games over the last two seasons.

Wisconsin owns an all-time record of 385-75 (.837) in the building - the 10th-best all-time home record in the country among active venues.

Wisconsin is 134-38 (.779) at home under head coach Greg Gard.

Greg Gard improved his overall record to 228-123 (.650) with a mark of 124-80 (.608) in Big Ten play, ranking 20th on the conference's all-time wins list and just 1 win from 19th place.

All-Time Big Ten Wins List
Record Coach (School) Years
18. 126-92 (.578) John Beilein (MICH) 2008-19
19. 125-105 (.543) Tom Davis (IOWA) 1986-99
20. 124-80 (.608) Greg Gard (WIS) 2015-26

Wisconsin's .608 conference win percentage in the Gard era (since 2015-16) trails only Purdue (.714) and Michigan State (.670) for best in the Big Ten during that span.

Wisconsin erased a 20-point first-half deficit and came back from an 18-point second-half hole (35-17 with 18:55 left), matching the largest second-half comeback in school history.

The Badgers also posted 18-point second-half comebacks against Indiana (12/8/21), Ohio State (1/5/76) and Marquette (12/4/48).

Wisconsin shot 70 percent (14-for-20) in the second half, outscoring Minnesota 50-28 in the period.

Wisconsin went 13-for-31 (41.9 percent) from 3-point range. Wisconsin has now hit double-digit triples in 15 games this season, going 14-1 in those games.

Wisconsin forced Minnesota to commit eight of its 11 turnovers in the second half.

UW converted 16-of-22 attempts at the line (72.7 percent) in the win. 13 of Wisconsin's makes came in the second half and UW made nine of its final 10 attempts.

Wisconsin's 67 points were its fewest in a win since scoring a 62-54 victory vs. Ohio State on Feb. 13, 2024.

Individual notes

Junior John Blackwell finished with a game-high 23 points, pouring in 4-of-9 attempts from deep and converting 11-of-14 attempts at the stripe. He also notched seven rebounds, a steal and a block.

Blackwell reached double-digit points for the 16th time this season and 60th time in his career.

Blackwell has now scored in double figures in seven straight games, marking the second time in his career he's achieved such a streak (once last season).

Including a 11-for-14 effort on Wednesday night, Blackwell is 49-55 (89.1 percent) at the line in Big Ten play.

Graduate student Nick Boyd enjoyed a prolific second half, scoring 19 of his 21 points to help spark the Badger comeback. Boyd hit 4-of-9 threes and dished five assists.

Boyd registered his 12th 20-point game of the season, which ranks second in the Big Ten behind Northwestern's Nick Martinelli (16)

Boyd is one of four Big Ten players to score in double figures in every game this season. He ranks third in the Big Ten averaging 20.0 ppg on the season.

With Blackwell and Boyd both scoring 20+ points, Wisconsin is now 7-0 this season when multiple players tally 20+ points. Boyd and Blackwell did so for the sixth time this season as a tandem.

Nolan Winter added nine points, seven boards and two assists. Winter finished +11, the best mark for any player in the game.

Winter has not scored fewer than nine points in a game since Nov. 28 (13 game streak).

- Notes provided by UW Brand Communications

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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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