In an emotional, back-and-forth battle, the Wisconsin Badgers landed the final punch, defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini 91-88 in overtime in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
Wisconsin, seeded fifth, faced a distinct front court disadvantage, weathered a 23-3 Illinois first-half run and trailed by 15 points with 11 minutes remaining. But in the end, the Badgers’ dynamic backcourt duo of Nick Boyd and John Blackwell relentlessly shouldered the load for Wisconsin, combining for 69 points in yet another gutsy win.
It was the latest chapter of excellence this season from Boyd and Blackwell, who are largely responsible for transforming Wisconsin from a mirage of question marks in January to a legitimate contender come March. Their leadership was on full display Friday against the fourth-seeded Illini. After Boyd’s 39 points and Blackwell’s 31, the next leading scorer was Austin Rapp with eight points.
But despite the discrepancy in the box score, it took a full team effort for Wisconsin to take down Illinois. While Rapp shot just 2-for-9 from the field — with forward Aleksas Bielauskas scoring a mere six points — the two were instrumental on the boards, combining for 18 rebounds. Guards Braedon Carrington and Andrew Rohde struggled offensively too, but their veteran experience was crucial to Wisconsin not wavering in the face of adversity.
“I can't say enough about the heart and the toughness and the growth that my group has shown from back late in the fall into the 2026 part of the calendar and how we've matured and have tremendous toughness to be able to come back from 15 down,” Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard said. “It speaks to the character of these guys and the willpower of them.”
Senior guard Andrew Rohde added to that sentiment.
“Just being in situations where, like today, we're down 15, but, we're all just in the huddle. We're calm,” Rohde told The Daily Cardinal in the locker room after the game. “I think we just know how good we can be. We know how talented we are, but I think the biggest thing is we know how good we can be as a team.”
But even with the team effort, the afternoon belonged to Boyd and Blackwell, who have rewritten Wisconsin’s Big Ten Tournament record books in back-to-back days. Blackwell’s 34 points against Washington was the most a Badger has ever scored in the Big Ten Tournament. And Boyd didn’t let Blackwell’s ink dry before he re-broke that record Friday.
“As we keep growing together and get more and more games together, God willing, it's just going to keep being special,” Boyd said after the game.
Boyd’s paws were all over the game from the start, as the first five minutes of game time featured all the key elements of a classic Boyd experience.
It took Boyd all of 31 seconds of action to draw a technical foul, as he and Illinois point guard Kylan Boswell headbutted on the Illini’s first possession. From there, Boyd was involved in Wisconsin’s first 10 points, scoring seven while assisting a Bieliauskas’ 3-pointer. With an early lead, Boyd then engaged in his signature celebration — hyping up the Wisconsin crowd with several arm pumps.
But Wisconsin, after their aggressive start, soon waned, scoring only once in the next eight minutes. During that eight minute stretch, Illinois converted on 9-of-12 field goals, while Wisconsin missed 9-of-10 3-pointers. The result was a 23-3 Illini run, and Wisconsin was soon on their heels facing a 28-13 deficit.
But Wisconsin answered the call with a 12-0 run of their own, indicating they would not go down easily. During the swing, Blackwell got hot for the first time, connecting on two 3-pointers and converting on a fast break layup.
“The game is about runs. They're going to have their runs and we're going to have our runs,” Blackwell said after the game. “As long as we weather the storm, that was their punch, and we just keep punching back.”
If Wisconsin didn’t swing back at Illinois, they would have found themselves facing a daunting path to victory. But instead, the Badgers went into the half trailing only 36-30, a decent position to be in after struggling so heavily for much of the half.
In the early stages of the second half, Wisconsin once again lost its footing. Illinois converted on their first five field goals, building a 12 point lead three minutes into the half.
Boyd kept the Badgers afloat with two layups and a jumper, but Illinois’ offense, which ranks first in the country in offensive efficiency, was relentless. The Illini peppered the basket with a well-balanced bevy of cashed mid-range jumpshots, dunks and lay-ins. With 11:34 remaining, they suddenly led 60-45 and had Wisconsin staring down the barrel of a tournament exit.
But just as they had in the first half, Wisconsin stayed resilient, firing off a 15-2 run of their own to bring the game within two at 62-60 with 7:03 remaining. Blackwell scored 13 of the 15 points on the run, getting to the free-throw line while also demonstrating his elite shotmaking ability.
The run was further proof of Wisconsin’s chemistry.
“We've been in positions like this all season where we've been down and we've had to crawl our way back,” Carrington told the Cardinal after the game. “I think the biggest thing is that we learned as long as we just stay together, band together, that it's not gonna phase us.”
After killer 3s by Boyd and Blackwell, Wisconsin eventually took a 68-67 lead with 4:50 remaining. In the final five minutes, Wisconsin scored exclusively from the free-throw line, as Boyd and Blackwell drew several fouls to keep pace with multiple Illinois 3-pointers. With the contest knotted at 78, the game advanced to overtime.
In overtime, Boyd and Blackwell once again led the charge, efficiently getting to the free-throw line after a Rapp 3-pointer gave Wisconsin an 85-80 lead. Illinois scared Wisconsin with a last ditch effort, as David Mirkovitch scored five straight points to bring the game within two. But ultimately on a day in which Boyd and Blackwell wowed a captivated United Center, it was fitting that the duo walked out of the arena with a victory.
With the win, Wisconsin advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semi-finals where they will take on Michigan at noon Saturday.
