Wisconsin Badgers
Michigan
Five Things to Know: UW vs. No. 2 Michigan
January 08, 2026 | Men's Basketball
Badgers seek upset over undefeated Wolverines
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin men’s basketball team hits the road for a matinee showdown with undefeated No. 2 Michigan on Saturday at noon in Ann Arbor.
Fans can watch the game live on CBS as Kevin Harlan, Bill Raftery and Robbie Hummel have the call. Fans can also listen to Matt Lepay and Brian Butch call the action on the Badger Radio Network.
LAST TIME OUT
The Badgers ousted UCLA, 80-72, on Tuesday at the Kohl Center to earn their second win in the Big Ten. Nick Boyd had a game-high 20 points, while tallying 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Nolan Winter had 18 points and 8 boards, reaching double figures for the eight consecutive contest. He finished 8-for-9 from the charity stripe, which is the second-most makes in his career at the line. Wisconsin had four players score in double-digits overall, rounded out by John Blackwell’s 17 points and Andrew Rohde’s 12. It’s the seventh time this season four players have eclipsed double digits, and first since the Dec. 6 win over Marquette.
REUNITED AT LAST
Boyd, a transfer from FAU and SDSU, will reunite with former FAU head coach Dusty May on Saturday, who is in his second season as Michigan’s head man. May led Boyd and the Owls to a 2023 NCAA Final Four run, where Boyd averaged 8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists during the season. Since that sophomore season, Boyd has continuously upped his production at higher levels. The New York native posted a career-high 13.4 points per game in his lone season at SDSU, and is now currently the Big Ten’s fourth-leading scorer at 19.5 points per game.
He’s been one of the most impactful players in the entire conference, being the Big Ten’s lone player with at least 100 made field goals, 60 free throws, 45 assists and 50 rebounds. Boyd also leads Big Ten guards in inside scoring, averaging a league-high 9.6 points per game inside the paint.
IT COMES IN VOLUME
The key to success for the Badger offense has been efficiency, shooting 45.5-percent (25-55) from the field on Tuesday. It was their eighth game shooting over 45-percent, going undefeated in those contests. Wisconsin also reached 80 points for the 10th time on Tuesday, and are now 10-0 in games where they go over 80.
KEEPING THE ROCK
Alongside the shooting, taking care of the basketball leads to a Wisconsin victory every time out. They finished with just eight turnovers against UCLA, two lower than their 10.4 per game average. It was the eighth game UW has had single digit turnovers, going 8-0 in those matchups.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
Wisconsin seeks its first win in Ann Arbor since Feb. 27, 2020, on Saturday and their first win over the Wolverines since Feb. 14, 2023. Michigan comes into Saturday’s meeting fresh off a heart-pulsing, 74-72, win at Penn State to improve to 14-0 and 4-0 in the Big Ten. Michigan has five players averaging double figures, led by UAB transfer Yaxel Lendeborg’s 14.7 points per game. The two teams met in last year's Big Ten title game as Michigan came out with a 59-53 victory.
