It’s official: this team is built for March.
The Wisconsin Badgers, without Nolan Winter, went into Mackey Arena and upset the 15th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers 97-93, avenging a 16-point loss earlier this season at the Kohl Center. It was Wisconsin’s third road victory over a ranked team this season. With the win, the Badgers complete the regular season with a 22-9 overall record and a strong 14-6 record in Big Ten games.
What helped Wisconsin earn its third win in its last four trips to West Lafayette?
Stellar three-point shooting. The Badgers’ 18 three-pointers were the most by a Wisconsin team since they connected on a Big Ten record 21-threes back on January 3rd, 2025, against Iowa. It also broke two school records for three-point shooting. Those 18 three-pointers were the most made in a road game, and the Badgers’ 12 three-pointers in the first half set a new school record.
The Badgers now await the result of the Illinois-Maryland game on Sunday. A Maryland win gives the Badgers the no. 4 seed and the triple-bye in the Big Ten tournament. If Illinois wins, the Badgers will be the no. 5 seed and take on the winner of 12th-seed Washington and 13th-seed USC on Thursday.
Here are three standouts from Wisconsin’s win over 15th-ranked Purdue.
The dynamic duo of Blackwell and Boyd
John Blackwell and Nick Boyd combined for 48 points in the win over the Boilermakers, with Blackwell scoring a team-high 25 and Boyd scoring 23. 15 of Blackwell’s points came from behind the three-point line, shooting 5-of-10 from distance.
However, in crunch time, Boyd helped seal the win, scoring 11 of the Badgers’ final 13 points.
Austin Rapp
With Winter out with a lower-body injury, the Badgers’ frontcourt players had to step up against Oscar Cluff and Trey Kaufman-Renn. Rapp, earning the start in Winter’s absence, provided that with 17 points on 4-of-8 three-point shots.
In addition, Rapp connected on 5-of-6 free throw attempts and collected three rebounds on the day.
Aleksas Bieliauskas
It was a stellar shooting day for Bieliauskas, who registered his fourth double-digit scoring performance of the season with 16 points. The big man from Lithuania made five of his eight shots from the floor, including 4-of-5 three pointers.
In two of the Badgers’ ranked road wins, Bieliauskas had been a major factor in those wins. Against second-ranked Michigan, Bieliauskas scored a season-high 17 points. His 16 points in West Lafayette are his second-highest of the season.
