Seniors Shine, Badgers Cruise in 78-45 Rout of Maryland
Wisconsin dismantles Maryland 78-45 to match a home win record, but a late injury to Nolan Winter casts a shadow on the celebration.
Emotions and tributes usually define Senior Day at the Kohl Center, but on Wednesday night, it was defined by a total defensive lockdown. The Wisconsin Badgers (21-9, 13-6 B1G) capped off their regular-season home finale with a clinical 78-45 win over Maryland.
This secured their 15th home victory of the season—matching the program’s highest total since 2010—and avoided a big letdown loss to the Terps.
Game Info
Final Score: Wisconsin 78, Maryland 45
Leaders: Braeden Carrington (18 pts), John Blackwell (14 pts), Nick Boyd (13 pts)
Key Stat: Wisconsin outscored Maryland 25-0 in fast-break points, the highest differential of the Greg Gard era.
The Lead: A Perfect Farewell (Mostly)
The night belonged to the veterans. All four seniors—Nick Boyd, Braeden Carrington, Andrew Rohde, and Isaac Gard—found the bottom of the net in their final game on the Ab Nicholas Court.
Braeden Carrington continued his late-season surge, leading all scorers with 18 points on a night where the bench combined for 39 total points. Nick Boyd moved into 11th place on the school’s single-season scoring chart (601 points) with his 13-point performance.
Meanwhile, Andrew Rohde dished out 6 assists in his final home game; Wisconsin improved to 4-0 this season when he records 5+ assists.
The Kohl Center reached a fever pitch in the final minute when walk-on Isaac Gard drained a three-pointer right in front of his father, head coach Greg Gard, causing the building to erupt.
The Storyline: A Costly Putback?
Despite the lopsided score, a cloud hung over the postgame celebration. With 7:01 remaining, junior center Nolan Winter suffered a serious-looking ankle injury on a successful putback layup.
Winter had to be helped off the floor, unable to put any weight on his left leg. Greg Gard noted postgame that they are “hopeful they avoided the worst,” but with the Big Ten Tournament just days away, Winter’s availability is now the biggest question mark facing this team.
With No. 15 Purdue looming, the Badgers will likely be without Winter, a massive loss considering the size of the lineups the Boilermakers roll out with regularity.
Defensive Masterclass
This was arguably Wisconsin’s best defensive performance in years. The 45 points surrendered were the fewest in a Big Ten game since February 5, 2022. UW forced 10 turnovers and limited the Terrapins to just 30.4% shooting from the floor.
Maryland freshman Andre Mills (14 pts) was the only Terp to find any rhythm, but he was largely held in check during the decisive 11-0 Badger run to start the second half.
The blowout is over. Now, we talk about the postseason implications with one game remaining.
The work for the Wisconsin Badgers isn’t done yet with a huge matchup with the Purdue Boilermakers on deck. We have mapped out the exact scenarios Wisconsin needs to avoid playing on Thursday in the Big Ten Tournament.
Subscribe now to unlock the Seeding Roadmap and join the conversation as we head into the final game before the post-season.
