Wisconsin Badgers Crush Washington in Seattle, 90-73
After arguably their worst loss of the season to Oregon, the Wisconsin Badgers bounced back in a major way, taking down the Washington Huskies, 90-73. It was a win they desperately needed, securing a two-game bye in the Big Ten Tournament.
In their second-to-last road game of the 2025-26 season, the Badgers made a statement against a sneaky Washington squad, spoiling Detlef Schremp’s jersey retirement.
Greg Gard and company are now 20-9 on the season and 12-6 in the Big Ten, while the Huskies drop under .500 at 14-15 (6-12 in conference play).
Strange Half Found the Badgers Up Big
After both sides went scoreless in the first two minutes, Washington struck first. Luckily, Wisconsin quickly countered with a 9-1 run, led by Nick Boyd. Through the first five minutes, the star point guard led a strong defense as the Badgers started a bit cold from three-point range.
The Huskies were held to just 10 in the first 10 minutes, shooting 3-for-11 while committing three turnovers. The Badgers weren’t necessarily as hot as they usually are, but the other side of the ball was extremely effective to start.
Both teams went into another lull, missing shots and committing turnovers for a large stretch. They combined for just 16 points in the final five minutes, but Wisconsin was on the better end of the stretch. The visitors closed on a 7-2 run and notched 10 points off turnovers.
Boyd certainly made up for John Blackwell’s lack of play, a defining trait regarding the Badgers’ weak spot. The junior guard shot 0-for-3 with three turnovers. However, his senior counterpart recorded 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal in 18 minutes of action.
Braedon Carrington and Nolan Winter came to the rescue as well, combining for 17 points and five threes. Winter was a force on the glass early, grabbing seven rebounds, while Carrington was an aggressive 3&D contributor.
Wisconsin found itself up 36-21 at the break, shooting 40.5% from the field and 31.6% from three without a single free-throw attempted. Washington was much worse on the offensive end, posting 25-20-63 shooting splits with five turnovers.
Wisconsin’s Offense Woke Up After the Break
To start the second half, the Badgers went back to what makes them so good, scoring 12 points in less than five minutes. They gave up a few baskets, but Andrew Rohde’s two steals across two minutes led to extra possessions.
By the 12-minute mark, Wisconsin already had 10 threes on 25 attempts (40%). Boyd also notched 20 points before that point, managing to uplift the rest of the offense. The Badgers managed to navigate Washington’s top-50 defense that flipped between man-to-man and zone.
A 10-0 scoring run put Wisconsin ahead by 24 with less than nine minutes to play, and it seemed like Blackwell found his footing in a short amount of time. He shot 3-for-6 in the second half, finishing with seven points.
But the real story of the half was Carrington, who got as hot as a cast iron in the final 20 minutes. The 6-foot-5 senior was launching from the Space Needle, scoring a career-high 32 on 9-for-15 shooting from deep.
A near-flawless half from the Badgers raised their final numbers to 90 points on 51-58-100 splits. Meanwhile, Washington improved its offense with 43 from Zoom Diallo and Hannes Steinbach, but it wasn’t enough.
Carrington and Boyd led the visitors with a combined 54 points. Boyd led the first half, while Carrington stole the show to close this one out.
