Wisconsin Basketball 2025-26

[Jim French Stepstool]

3 hours ago, Playing Catch said:

 

As awesome and exciting the win was, and no disrespect to the quality of the win, but playing without Boswell and Stojakovic is pretty substantial for the Illini.

 

If/when they get to 100% health there's no doubt they're a FF caliber group, and could get to Monday.

[Jim French Stepstool]

4 hours ago, Playing Catch said:

 

With that said, we saw this last season as well with the 3 guards seemingly "trading" possessions off, in order to rest. At times, Boyd has to put in so much effort offensively, that I think his defense suffers, and I think for Rohde, it's kind of the opposite. I think there is a yang to the yin of playing up-tempo.

I think you nailed it w/Boyd. Sometimes it might seem that way simply because he isn't a great defender, but on switches/screens yeah the energy level isn't always the same as on the offensive end.

IMO Rohde is a workhorse on both ends, but a lot of the time he defers to really concentrating on getting the ball in the hands of others. To a fault? Maybe. But with backcourt mates avg'ing close to 40 a game I get it. We'd all like to see the shooting % higher & see him finish more at the rim, but his overall floor game has been pretty solid.

[LouisEly]

On 2/10/2026 at 5:49 PM, valpocrewsader said:

Is tonight's game on Peacock or something like that?

Apparently it was also on NBC Sports Network, which I have on YouTube TV.  Didn't say anything about it in anything that I read.

Thought that I wouldn't be able to watch it.  Why not say it was also on NBC Sports Network?  This whole Peacock thing just frosts my shorts.  

[LouisEly]

23 hours ago, rickh150 said:

With around 24 sec. Left in regulation, tie game, Badgers should have been called for a 10 sec.

They didn't get possession of the rebound until :34 and they were over the line at :25

[Samurai Bucky]

2 hours ago, LouisEly said:

Apparently it was also on NBC Sports Network, which I have on YouTube TV.  Didn't say anything about it in anything that I read.

Thought that I wouldn't be able to watch it.  Why not say it was also on NBC Sports Network?  This whole Peacock thing just frosts my shorts.  

As long as NBC Sports will still be on YouTube when they have the sports-only skinny bundle (announced yesterday, I guess).

[rickh150]

17 hours ago, LouisEly said:

They didn't get possession of the rebound until :34 and they were over the line at :25

Nope. Double checked. Check the SHOT CLOCK.  That is what matters.  It clearly says 20 and no part of body of Boyd or ball is over the line.

[LouisEly]

4 hours ago, rickh150 said:

Nope. Double checked. Check the SHOT CLOCK.  That is what matters.  It clearly says 20 and no part of body of Boyd or ball is over the line.

I double checked.  The shot clock on the screen was wrong and was started early.  The shot clock on the screen is not the official shot clock.

The Illinois player was shooting free throws with 35.3 seconds left.  Would not have been possible for the shot clock to be at 20 with more than 25 seconds left.

[Samurai Bucky]

4 hours ago, rickh150 said:

Nope. Double checked. Check the SHOT CLOCK.  That is what matters.  It clearly says 20 and no part of body of Boyd or ball is over the line.

 

7 minutes ago, LouisEly said:

I double checked.  The shot clock on the screen was wrong and was started early.  The shot clock on the screen is not the official shot clock.

The Illinois player was shooting free throws with 35.3 seconds left.  Would not have been possible for the shot clock to be at 20 with more than 25 seconds left.

I looked at Brad Underwood.  I think he already had three aneurysms during the game, and he wasn't too worked up... I don't think.

It must have been so much fun when Fran was still at Iowa and they played Illinois.   

[Jim French Stepstool]

3 hours ago, LouisEly said:

I double checked.  The shot clock on the screen was wrong and was started early.  The shot clock on the screen is not the official shot clock.

 

As I mentioned earlier, Rapp had the ball secured after the tangle under the hoop for the rebound, and the shot clock already was at 28. So yeah, it appears the shot clock (on the screen) jumped the gun.

[Jim French Stepstool]

3 hours ago, Samurai Bucky said:

 

 

It must have been so much fun when Fran was still at Iowa and they played Illinois.   

Not only for the theatrics, but I miss Fran every time I see Iowa play since McCollum took over. Much tougher team to play now. Same thing w/Minnesota, Indiana, & Michigan.

[Jim French Stepstool]

Things are definitely looking up for the post players---Winter is having a really solid season and Bieliauskas & Rapp have made strides defensively & on the boards, with Rapp also on a major offensive heater. They'll be tested big-time tonite. Michigan State is one of the better rebounding teams you'll find, on both ends of the floor. And they do it largely on the backs on veterans who weren't 5-star kids or seven-figure mercenaries from the portal but who developed toughness. Tom Izzo is easily my favorite non-UW coach in the B10.

I'll be interested in who guards Fears. I wouldn't be surprised if it's Boyd but I'm not a fan of that. Either way you need to try to turn him into a jump shooter; actually that should be the goal for everyone on their squad save for Ugochukwu & maybe Kohler. And stay between Carr & the bucket, lest you allow him to create his at-the-rim pyrotechnics.

Should be a great atmosphere. Wish I was going. Hope the KC is boisterous.

[yourout]

I thought we were suppose to get home cooking from the refs? 

We are getting the road treatment.

[Jim French Stepstool]

I absolutely love how they answered the MSU run & bumped the lead back up with Blackwell on the bench. John, John, John, you really didn't need to pick up that 2nd foul.

Nice job of competing on the glass vs a very good rebounding team. And an impressive first half for Pete Maravi---I mean Nick Boyd. If some of those makes didn't evoke a throw-up-your-hands, what else can we do response from MSU, nothing will. 

Not much to complain about. We'll see how the whistles go in the 2nd half.

[yourout]

3 minutes ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

I absolutely love how they answered the MSU run & bumped the lead back up with Blackwell on the bench. John, John, John, you really didn't need to pick up that 2nd foul.

Nice job of competing on the glass vs a very good rebounding team. And an impressive first half for Pete Maravi---I mean Nick Boyd. If some of those makes didn't evoke a throw-up-your-hands, what else can we do response from MSU, nothing will. 

Not much to complain about. We'll see how the whistles go in the 2nd half.

Would have liked a bit better free throw shooting but outside of that.... Damn good half.

[Playing Catch]

Boyd has some games when he's really special.

[Samurai Bucky]

Rhode has at least one absolutely terrible turnover each game.  It is the same long, forced bounce past each time. 

[yourout]

11 minutes ago, Samurai Bucky said:

Rhode has at least one absolutely terrible turnover each game.  It is the same long, forced bounce past each time. 

Every time he hoists up a three I assume a Miss.

[adambr2]

Can’t really take polling very seriously anymore if the Badgers don’t crack the top 25 next week.

[yourout]

Ho hum... Just another run of the mill 90 point performance

[Samurai Bucky]

The Badgers are playing physically and the refs are letting them play.  You also have two guards who can take over a game.  If Boyd can play within himself, I think the Badgers can go deep this year.  On the other hand, if he shoulders someone like he did at the end of the Indiana game, oof.

As much as MSU has been a rival over the years, I appreciate how (most of) Izzo's players play hard.  #55 has incredible hops.  I like Izzo as a coach.

Anyway... Let's go, Bucky!

[yourout]

2 minutes ago, Samurai Bucky said:

The Badgers are playing physically and the refs are letting them play.  You also have two guards who can take over a game.  If Boyd can play within himself, I think the Badgers can go deep this year.  On the other hand, if he shoulders someone like he did at the end of the Indiana game, oof.

As much as MSU has been a rival over the years, I appreciate how (most of) Izzo's players play hard.  #55 has incredible hops.  I like Izzo as a coach.

Anyway... Let's go, Bucky!

Agree with you on Izzo. I have a lot of respect for what he's done and how he's done it.

[TwinsBrewersWorldSeries]

23 minutes ago, adambr2 said:

Can’t really take polling very seriously anymore if the Badgers don’t crack the top 25 next week.

Agreed.   This team is definitely top 25 worthy for their season of work.  Too bad in those Indy and USC losses… if we had held on there, we’re probably talking top 10…

that said… i’m thrilled with how much this team has improved over the past month.  Knowing the seeding gods always hate us, we’ll probably be a 6-7 seed, but some 2-3 is going to be furious to have us in their draw.

I’d like to think that we can finish 4-2 or 5-1…

22-9 (14-6) or 23-8 (15-5) should net us a 5-6 seed I’d think.

if we somehow add a win @ Purdue, that might get us into a top-4 seed.

[Jim French Stepstool]

1 hour ago, Playing Catch said:

Boyd has some games when he's really special.

Mentioned to the missus about the night we were in the KC & watched Tonje light up Arizona. Boyds' performance reminded me of that night.

[Jim French Stepstool]

1 hour ago, Samurai Bucky said:

Rhode has at least one absolutely terrible turnover each game.  It is the same long, forced bounce past each time. 

I hear what you're saying, but I just have a difficult time saying anything negative about Rohde even if it's occasionally deserved. His defensive versatility is so vital when you have a defender like Boyd, who you might not want to have guard an opposing PG. He can guard 1-3, and his back-to-back threes right off the bat kinda set the tone in that MSU had to come out & guard him.

Some of his TOs are head-scratching, but he's only averaging one TO per game.

[Jim French Stepstool]

33 minutes ago, Samurai Bucky said:

The Badgers are playing physically and the refs are letting them play.  

Early in the season, it looked to me like our physicality around the hoop was Winter, occasionally Garlock (physical enough but still raw), and guys like Boyd, Carrington & Janicki who give up size to a lot of people. Boy, has that changed. Even Bieliauskas, who never looked comfy offensively tonite, had five boards & three blocks in 18 minutes. 

Kudos to Gard & the staff for cultivating all this growth.