Ohio State Aims to Hand Wisconsin Rare Home Loss

The Buckeyes look to defeat the Badgers on their home court in a Big Ten matchup.

Jan. 30, 2026 at 11:47pm

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Ohio State (14-6, 6-4) will travel to Madison, Wisconsin to take on the Badgers (15-6, 7-3) in a Big Ten conference matchup on Saturday afternoon. Wisconsin is 11-2 at home this season and has won 26 of its last 30 home games, but the Buckeyes will look to hand them a rare home defeat. Ohio State is coming off a victory over Penn State, while Wisconsin overcame an 18-point halftime deficit to beat Minnesota in their last game.

Why it matters

This game is an important Big Ten conference matchup, as both teams are looking to improve their conference standings. Wisconsin has been dominant at home, but Ohio State will try to hand them their third home loss of the season and pick up a key road win in the competitive Big Ten.

The details

Ohio State is led by guards Bruce Thornton (19.6 ppg) and John Mobley Jr. (16.1 ppg), while Wisconsin is paced by guards Nick Boyd (20.0 ppg) and John Blackwell (18.4 ppg). The Badgers overcame an 18-point halftime deficit in their last game, rallying in the second half to beat Minnesota. Ohio State is coming off a victory over Penn State, but will be without injured players Christoph Tilly and Gabe Cupps for this matchup.

  • The game will take place on Saturday, January 31, 2026 in Madison, Wisconsin.

The players

Bruce Thornton

Ohio State's leading scorer, averaging 19.6 points per game.

John Mobley Jr.

Ohio State forward who has scored at least 20 points in four straight games.

Nick Boyd

Wisconsin's leading scorer, averaging 20.0 points per game.

John Blackwell

Wisconsin guard who scored 23 points in the team's comeback win over Minnesota.

Greg Gard

Wisconsin's head coach.

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What they’re saying

“Aggressiveness. Physicality. We had a pulse. We initiated things better. We were attacking better. We got to the free-throw line. I thought we were just tougher in all aspects of the game.”

— Greg Gard, Wisconsin Head Coach

“They're led by their two guards, a big-time backcourt. It should be a good, hard-fought classic Big Ten road battle.”

— Jake Diebler, Ohio State Head Coach

What’s next

The winner of this game will take a step forward in the Big Ten standings, while the loser will look to bounce back in their next conference matchup.

The takeaway

This game features two of the top teams in the Big Ten, with Wisconsin's strong home court advantage going up against Ohio State's talented backcourt. The outcome could have significant implications for the conference title race.