How Nick Boyd and John Blackwell’s polar personalities have reshaped the Badgers into dangerous contender

Wisconsin guard John Blackwell (25), left, celebrates a play against Michigan with guard Nick Boyd (2) during the second half at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The Wisconsin Badgers have seen their fair share of twists and turns this season, starting the season sluggishly with five losses in the team’s first five Quad 1 games before going on a strong run during conference play.

In that stretch, Wisconsin knocked off the Michigan Wolverines, UCLA Bruins Illinois Fighting Illini, and Michigan State Spartans for a huge slew of Quad 1 wins. Then, they finished things off with a win over the Purdue Boilermakers in the Big Ten finale and over the Illinois Fighting Illini in the Big Ten Tournament. Wisconsin has seen a couple of slips of inconsistencies, with double-digit road losses to the Ohio State Buckeyes and Oregon Ducks, as well as a bad home loss to the USC Trojans, but they’ve shown some serious resolve over the last two months.

After struggling to close games and bounce back early in the season, the Badgers have recorded six double-digit comebacks, which is tied for the best in the country. And a big part of that is due to the team’s grown leadership. Last year’s Badgers squad was one of the best in recent years because the team had a lot of strong veteran voices who had been around the program for several years.

Max Klesmit and Kamari McGee were key leaders who were from the state of Wisconsin and had been in the program for several years. Steven Crowl was key at the center position. John Tonje immediately bought into the culture and became a star.