(UW ATHLETICS) CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — If Wisconsin has proven anything in the 2025-26 season, it’s that they are never out of a game. For the fifth time in the last nine games, the Badgers rallied from a double-digit deficit to pull out a win. And Tuesday night, it was a 92-90 overtime stunner over No. 8 Illinois at the State Farm Center in Champaign.
The duo of Nick Boyd and John Blackwell as at it again. Boyd dropped 25 points, including 19 in the second half and overtime, going 10-of-19 from the field. Blackwell scored 24 on the strength of five 3-pointers, adding 4 assists and 3 rebounds.
Sophomore Austin Rapp poured in 18 points off the bench, nailing four triples. The Badgers hit 16 three-balls in the game, a season-best and the team’s most ever in a road game.
Badgers coach Greg Gard said that they really battled to pull this one out.
He added that Boyd and Blackwell were really good down the stretch.
Gard said that Rapp has come a long way.
Blackwell talked about how Rapp has helped the team.
Gard added that his team continues to improve even as the long season wears on.
The win marks Wisconsin’s second top-10 win of the season after UW defeated No. 2 Michigan, 91-88, last month. UW and Illinois as the nation’s only teams with two top-10 road wins this season.
Blackwell said one of the keys was not hanging their heads after Saturday’s loss to Indiana.
The Badgers got out to a prolific start, draining four 3FGs in the game’s first six minutes. They shot 7-of-11 to jump out to an 18-10 lead. Illinois then caught fire, sparking a back-and-forth affair that saw the Illini take a 44-38 lead into the break. UW made seven triples in the period, paced by Blackwell’s 10 points.
Wisconsin flew out of the locker room on an 8-0 run thanks to threes from Aleksas Bieliauskas and Blackwell. Illinois sparked a run of its own, taking a 71-59 lead with 8:10 remaining. That’s when UW roared back with a 17-5 run at the 4-minute media timeout to tie the game. Rapp capped the spurt with a deep three from the slot.
Illinois went back up by one point after a Keaton Wagler three, before Boyd’s jumper, followed by another Rapp three, put Bucky up one. Wagler drew a foul on the ensuing possession, but missed the backend at the stripe to send the game to overtime.
The Badgers took the first six points of overtime thanks to a Boyd and-one, followed up by a Blackwell trey. They didn’t look back from there as Braeden Carrington, and Blackwell, sank key free throws to ice the game. Wagler’s three-point heave fell short as the buzzer expired, giving UW their third Quadrant I victory of the year.
Up Next: The Badgers return home for a Friday primetime matchup against No. 10 Michigan State. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m.,
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