Badgers Struggle Mightily as They Miss Big Chance in Michigan!

Mar 14, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Aleksas Bieliauskas (32) defends against Michigan Wolverines center Aday Mara (15) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images The Wisconsin Badgers fell just short of a massive comeback in a 68-65 loss to the Michigan Wolverines, ending their bid for a Big Ten Tournament Championship in the semifinals. It was a tight game through the first 20 minutes, with Wisconsin’s defense and three-point shooting carrying them early.

Then, after Michigan jumped out to a big lead in the second half, Wisconsin found its way to rally back yet again before Yaxel Lendeborg hit the go-ahead three with 0. 4 seconds remaining to send the Wolverines to the championship game. With that, the Badgers will now await their seeding on Sunday afternoon and will look forward to the NCAA Tournament next weekend.

Here are three quick takeaways from the Badgers loss to Michigan on Saturday in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. Bigs of the future With Nolan Winter out after suffering an ankle injury last week against the Maryland Terrapins, the Badgers were going to face their fair share of challenges, starting with the Purdue Boilermakers in the regular-season finale and carrying over to the Big Ten Tournament. Wisconsin was a considerable underdog going into that Purdue game, and the size factor was a question mark, given the Boilermakers’ frontcourt consisting of Trey-Kauffman Renn, Oscar Cluff, and Daniel Jacobsen.

But the Badgers outdueled the Boilermakers, with Austin Rapp and Aleksas Bieliauskas coming up huge in that one with 33 combined points and quality defense in the paint. On Friday, they faced another tough challenge with the vaunted frontcourt of the Illinois Fighting Illini, but Rapp and Bieliauskas held their own defensively and on the glass, as Wisconsin outrebounded its opponents and got more offensive rebounds. It was a huge game of growth for both players, who were tested with heavy minutes in an overtime battle and played their roles for Wisconsin.