Cardiac Badgers? Comeback Kids? Why No Lead is Safe Against Wisconsin
“You had some f—— fight in the second half. That’s how it has to be. You battle, you fight, you scrap. That’s your mentality, that’s your identity. Don’t think you have a different identity. You’re not very good when we’re soft.”
That was Greg Gard’s message in the locker room after Wisconsin defeated Minnesota at home by erasing a 20-point deficit on Jan. 28. The Badgers have won games via shot-making, but playing the villain is what brings out the best in them; being the bad guy.
The 2025-26 Wisconsin Badgers have been the epitome of the phrase ‘no lead is safe.’ Comebacks happen all the time, especially when the best of the best are going at. But when taking into account that this is college sports, played by kids mostly between the ages of 18 and 24, a group this mentally tough is almost unfathomable, given the situations.
Gard and company did it again last night, taking down No. 8 Illinois in a 92-90 overtime thriller in Champaign. Wisconsin found itself down 12 points with eight minutes remaining, but that only flipped the switch. This group loves a challenge.
The Badgers have done this sort of thing way too many times before, beating an undefeated No. 2 Michigan squad in Ann Arbor exactly one month before Tuesday’s victory.
The win against the Fighting Illini marked Wisconsin’s fifth double-digit comeback of the season to push the team to 17-7 and 9-4 in the Big Ten. The Badgers have now mounted these types of victories against Illinois (12), Michigan (14), Minnesota twice (11 and 20) and Ohio State (11). Three of the five double-digit comebacks have come on the road.
It’s worth noting that against the Fighting Illini, Wisconsin didn’t start flat like it typically has this season. The Badgers began this one shooting 57% from both the field and three in the first few minutes. It’s what kept them in it through the first half. After the break, the visitors sputtered a bit, but it only led to a major rally.
Wisconsin outscored Illinois 17-7 in the final seven minutes. This included three triples from Austin Rapp, who stepped up for 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Nick Boyd and John Blackwell combined for 49 points. This squad is currently tied with Kentucky for the most double-digit comebacks this season.
Just from watching their games this season, it’s easy to say that the Badgers have performed better on the road. But stats show that they’re the second-best away team in the Big Ten, behind Illinois (6-1). According to CBB Analytics, Wisconsin ranks second in offensive rating across six conference road games (121.6) with a 4-2 record. The crowd has never daunted them.
While the defense hasn’t been quite up to par, Gard was strategic in bringing in floor spacers to create such a dynamic offense. In these comebacks, the hot shooting has always come around, whether it be from the Badgers’ star duo, a spark plug like Braeden Carrington, or the stretch bigs.
Half the defense, double the offense. In clutch time, the Badgers are taking more threes than any Big Ten team per 100 possessions (43.5).
While Boyd and Blackwell have shown up in almost every game, the third star rotates. Against Minnesota on Jan. 13, it was 21 points off the bench from Carrington, who went 7-of-12 from beyond the arc. In Wisconsin’s patented win over Michigan on Jan. 10, Aleksas Bieliauskas sank five threes for 17 points.
But something else to note is that in all three of their road comebacks, Wisconsin has taken more than half of their shots from deep, and they won the offensive rebounding battle. They’re letting it fly, but also fighting for second-chance opportunities. Whether or not those looks go down, the more possessions the better.
“We’re just fighters,” Blackwell told Bill Raftery of CBS Sports after the win against No. 2 Michigan. “I told this group, ‘Let’s be the villain of today.'”
That’s who Wisconsin is on the road: the bad guys. When the home team gets comfortable, and everyone in its arena is waiting for the clock to run out after going down by double digits, the visitors (or the spoilers) know that the game slows down in clutch time.
Gard bet on living and dying by the three. In many instances, he has maximized possessions, and it has paid dividends for Wisconsin down the stretch. The Badgers don’t tune out the outside noise. They run toward it, and it has kept them alive in the NCAA Tournament race.
