In Reply to: Mara Was The Difference On Both Ends Today. posted by NYBruin on March 13, 2026 at 11:33:21
Wisconsin's two guards, Boyd and Blackwell are the best guard combination I've seen so far in the Big 10. Boyd had 38 points and Blackwell had 31 in their OT win over Illinois today. They only made 6 threes between the two but Illinois couldn't keep either from driving into the paint where they either scored or got fouled. Made 21 of 22 free throws (Boyd 12/13 and Blackwell 9/9). Very tough combo to guard. And they did it without their 7 foot center, Nolan Winter (3rd leading scorer and leading rebounder) who is missing the Big 10 tournament because of an injury. In fact, Wisconsin is the only team to beat Michigan in the Big 10 this year, 91 to 88 at Crisler Center, same score as they beat Illinois today. In that upset game at Crisler Center, Blackwell had 26 points and Boyd had 22. My Michigan wife is really worried about the game tomorrow as Michigan, even though they have been winning, haven't been playing their best ball in recent games.
How Wisconsin lost to both Oregon and USC is a mystery to me. I don't know what to expect in the game this evening between the Bruins and Mich State though. If the Bruins can can contain Fears and shoot a good percentage and knock down their open threes, the game should be close and it will give the Bruins a good chance to advance.