Nick Boyd scores 29, Wisconsin crushes No. 10 Michigan State

February 14, 2026|In Badgers

Nick Boyd scores 29, Wisconsin crushes No. 10 Michigan State

February 14, 2026|In Badgers

Nick Boyd scores 29, Wisconsin crushes No. 10 Michigan State

MADISON — For the first time in 73 years, Wisconsin has beaten top-10 teams in back-to-back regular season games following a 92-71 beatdown of No. 10 Michigan State on Friday night at raucous Kohl Center.

Player of the Game: Nick Boyd

For a third straight year, Wisconsin has hit a home run in the transfer portal. First it was AJ Storr, then John Tonje and now Boyd. He was fantastic, especially in the first half as he powered the Badgers to an 18-point lead at the break. The senior scored 20 points and hit big shot after big shot, especially from beyond the 3-point line, where he went 4-for-5. Boyd finished with 29 points, his 16th game of 20 or more points this year, which is already tied for the third-most in Wisconsin history.

The good: The first half

Wisconsin jumped all over Michigan State early, dropping 51 points in the first half on the fourth-ranked defense in the country. A lot of it was Boyd, but six other guys scored, including seven from Nolan Winter and six from Andrew Rohde. The Badgers shot 57.6-percent from the floor and 58.8% from 3-point range. They hit 10 3-pointers before the break, the third time they’ve done that in a half this year, which is also tied for the school record for the most in a single half in a Big Ten game. The Badgers weren’t one dimensional, either, getting it done on the defensive end, limiting Michigan State to only 34 points on 31.3% shooting. If not for some officiating calls going their way, the Spartans would have been down by even more than 17 at the half.

The not so good: Transition defense

This is nitpicking when you win by 21, but the Spartans did have some success in getting out and running against the Badgers. They had 24 fastbreak points and it kept them within striking distance for the first part of the second half.

Stat of the Game: 39:13

That’s how long Wisconsin led the game, as it was complete domination from start to finish. The 21-point margin of victory was the biggest for the Badgers against a top-10 team and the fourth-biggest ever for an unranked team against a top-10 team.

What They Said:

“First of all, that was a good old fashioned ass-kicking.” — Michigan State coach Tom Izzo

“I always say, ‘we shoot like that, ain’t no team in the country that can beat us.’” Wisconsin guard Nick Boyd

Inside The Numbers

14 — That is how many offensive rebounds Michigan State, which is right about at the club’s season average. But Izzo lamented his team’s inability to cash those in, scoring just eight second-chance points on the night.

3 — That is how many top-10 teams Wisconsin has beaten this year — the first time since 2015-16 the Badgers have beaten three top-10 teams in the regular season

31 — That is how many 3-pointers Wisconsin has hit in its last two games — upsets of No. 8 Illinois and the 10th-ranked Spartans

24 — That is how many points John Blackwell had on the night despite playing just nine minutes in the first half due to foul trouble. It was his 11th game of 20+ points this year

23 — That is how many total points Michigan State lost by in its first four losses of the season. The Badgers beat the Spartans by 21

18 — That is how many wins against top-10 teams Greg Gard has in his tenure. That’s tied with Bo Ryan for the most by a Wisconsin coach

In Case You Missed It

— Wisconsin legend Frank Kaminsky was in attendance and joined the TV broadcast for a few minutes from court side

— Packers coach Matt LaFleur was also in the building and spoke to the team after the game

— Wisconsin called for a stripe out at the Kohl Center and the fans delivered. It was the fourth time the Badgers have had a stripe out against Michigan State and they are now 4-0 in those games

— The student section rushed the court for the first time this season. It followed a pair of field stormings at Camp Randall Stadium in the fall.

What’s next?

Wisconsin (18-7, 10-4) will head to Ohio State (16-8, 8-6) on Tuesday night. The Badgers beat the Buckeyes in Madison 92-82 in January.

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