MADISON, Wis. – For the second consecutive game, Minnesota was unable to close out after leading at halftime.
The short-handed Gophers, playing without injured leading scorer Cade Tyson, let a 35-17 halftime lead slip away as Wisconsin rallied for a 67-63 victory in a Big Ten matchup Wednesday night as Minnesota’s losing streak reached six games.
Grayson Grove #2 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers scores past Hayden Jones #13 of the Wisconsin Badgers during the first half of the game at Kohl Center on January 28, 2026 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
“Obviously, we came out ready to play tonight. Guys had great spirit, great fight about them. Had the lead at halftime,” said Minnesota coach Nikeo Medved. “Wisconsin’s a terrific team and program. We knew they were going to make a run.”
Tyson, averaging a team-best 20.1 points per game, was out after suffering an ankle injury Sunday in a 76-57 home loss to No. 5 Nebraska, a game the Gophers led 36-30 at the half.
“Every game’s different, but this game was kind of the same story,” said Bobby Durkin, who led the Gophers with 20 points, but had just three in the second half. “Just didn’t find a way to pull it out at the end.
Isaac Asuma added 16 points and Langston Reynolds 12 for Minnesota (10-11, 3-7 Big Ten), which had just seven scholarship players available. Reserve forward Nehemiah Turner also was out.
“This group has been kicked,” Medved said. “I’ve never been through a season with this many injuries with guys. We had two more guys out today. These guys just never quit. They just battle and keep coming back for more.”
John Blackwell had 23 points, including 8 of Wisconsin’s final 11, and Nick Boyd scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half as the Badgers overcame a dismal shooting first half.
Wisconsin, which trailed 35-17 at the half, rallied to take its first lead of the second half at 51-50 on Boyd’s baseline jumper with 6:22 remaining.
The Badgers came back with a 15-2 run after the break, pulling within 37-32 on Blackwell’s 3-pointer.
Blackwell hit another 3-pointer from the left top to cut the lead to 39-37 with 10 ½ minutes remaining.
Asuma hit a jumper and a 3-pointer to put the Gophers up 47-39, but Wisconsin rallied within 47-44 on Boyd’s driving lay-in.
Braeden Carrington, who spent his first two seasons with the Gophers, was fouled on a 3-pointer from the right corner and added the free throw to make it 50-49.
Langston Reynolds #6 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers goes up for a shot past Nolan Winter #31 of the Wisconsin Badgers during the first half of the game at Kohl Center on January 28, 2026 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
“I think they came out with some high-level intensity on defense,” Durkin said. “But I don’t think we executed the way that we needed to. There’s definitely some things we’ll look at on film and try to clean up.”
Wisconsin shot 17.9 percent in the first half and 70.0 percent in the second, making 14 of 20, including 9 of 15 from deep. The Badgers also were 13 of 18 from the free-throw line in the second half, after going 3 of 4 in the first half.
Durkin matched the Badgers first-half scoring total with 17 points, but had one more field goal.
Durkin hit 6 of 7 shots, including 4 of 5 from deep, while Wisconsin shot just 17.9 percent in the first half, hitting 5 of 28 shots – 4 of 16 from three-point range and 1 of 12 inside the arc.
In the early going, the Gophers bore little resemblance to the team outscored by 25 points in the second half in the loss to Nebraska.
Reynolds put the Gophers on top 20-6 early as Wisconsin hit just 2 of its first 15 shots.
The lead ballooned to 27-9 when the Gophers turned a Wisconsin turnover into a jumper by Kai Shinholster from the top of the key.
Asuma banked in a 3-pointer from straight on and Durkin added another 3-pointer with 14 seconds left to push the lead to 35-15.
Boyd scored on drive ahead of the buzzer for Wisconsin’s first field goal after eight consecutive misses over a span of more than 5 ½ minutes.
Wisconsin, which has won 11 straight against Minnesota, won the first matchup two weeks ago at Minnesota, 78-75, on Blackwell’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
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