Wisconsin Badgers
Penn State
Five Things to Know: UW at Penn State
January 19, 2026 | Men's Basketball
Badgers seek fifth-straight victory
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin men’s basketball team looks to win their fifth-straight contest with a matchup against Penn State on Thursday at Rec Hall.
Tip is set for 6 p.m. CT and fans can watch the action live on FS1 as Noah Reed and Calbert Cheaney have the call. Fans can also listen to Matt Lepay and Brian Butch call the action on the Badger Radio Network.
LAST TIME OUT
Thanks to Nick Boyd’s 32 points, the Badgers (13-5, 5-2 B1G) outpaced Rutgers, 96-87, last Saturday at the Kohl Center. The 6-foot-3 point guard dished out a career-high nine assists in the win, while going 14-of-15 from the free throw line. The Badgers shot a season-high 26-of-29 from the charity stripe and hit their season-averages going 12-of-30 from deep. Nolan Winter added 18 points and five rebounds, making all six shots he took.
WELCOME TO JOHNUARY
Junior John Blackwell earned his second Big Ten Player of the Week honor on Monday after leading UW to a pair of wins last week. He scored 27 points and had the game-winning buzzer-beating three-pointer to lead UW to a 78-75 win over Minnesota on Tuesday. He also had 6 rebounds and 6 assists in the Border Battle win. He followed it up with a 19 point effort in Saturday’s win over Rutgers. His recent award is the second of the month as he was named the Naismith Trophy Player of the Week last week after leading UW to wins over UCLA and at No. 2 Michigan.
ON A ROLL
The Badgers have now won four straight contests in conference play, dating back to an 80-72 victory over UCLA on Jan. 6. UW picked up a much-needed Quad I victory over No. 2 Michigan on Jan. 10, followed up by Blackwell’s buzzer-beater to beat Minnesota, and the win over Rutgers this Saturday. They are the Big Ten’s highest-scoring team during this stretch – 17th nationally at 82.3 points per game – and have the nation’s second-highest Offensive Efficiency at 134.8, according to Barttorkvik.com.
AGAINST THE NITTANY LIONS
UW seeks its first win over the Nittany Lions (9-9, 0-7 B1G) since Feb. 8, 2023, when Tyler Wahl dropped 16 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds in a 79-74 win in Happy Valley. The Badgers lead the all-time series 44-13, and have won seven of the last 10 contests. Penn State comes into Thursday’s game with nine wins over Quad IV opponents, and nine losses against every other opponent. They’re no stranger to close contests, grudging out single digit losses to ranked foes like Michigan State, Illinois, Michigan and Purdue. True freshman Kayden Mingo leads the Nittany Lion attacking, posting 15.2 points per game on 49.2-percent shooting.
A BIG WEEK IN MADISON
Following Wisconsin’s trip to Penn State, the Badgers will close out the month of January with three games at the Kohl Center. On Sunday, UW welcomes USC to town for the first time since 1946 for a 3 p.m. contest. The UW/USC battle will be a White Out as all fans are encouraged to wear white to the game. On Wednesday, Jan. 28, the Badgers will host its Coaches vs. Cancer “Suits and Sneakers” game vs. Minnesota. Tip is set for 8 p.m. as Wisconsin will raise awareness to help “slam dunk” cancer and other childhood illnesses. The Badgers close out the week with a showdown with Ohio State at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31 that will also serve as UW’s Power of Us game. Join us as we celebrate community and culture.
