Wisconsin basketball eyes narrow triple-bye odds vs Maryland
With Senior Night on deck, Wisconsin basketball has turned the calendar from a frosty February to March
Madison, WI — From July practices to holiday tournaments to now: March is finally here. Wisconsin basketball looks to get off on the right foot to begin the most wonderful time of the year as it hosts a middling-at-best Maryland Terrapins squad on Senior Night in Madison.
Wisconsin (20-9, 12-6 Big Ten) is back in the thick of the hunt for one of the top seeds in its conference tournament, and it seeks to solidify its positioning in the NCAA Tournament. The Badgers have amassed double-digit Big Ten wins for the 22nd time in 25 years — no other program in the conference can boast the same mark.
Meanwhile in College Park, the Terrapins (11-18, 4-14 Big Ten) are following up a 2025 Sweet Sixteen appearance with their most lackluster season in recent memory. After head coach Kevin Willard departed Maryland for the Villanova Wildcats, all but one player on UMD’s roster exited as well. As a result, the Terrapins will finish this season with their fewest wins in Big Ten play ever, and their fewest in any conference since at least 2012.
As Badgers head coach Greg Gard looks to make his 11th season at the helm of his squad more memorable than his Terrapins’ counterpart’s first, four UW standouts will be honored on Tuesday night.
Who to Watch: Wisconsin basketball senior day
Before the Badgers and Terrapins tip off, Wisconsin will honor its senior graduating class of four players. Three of UW’s graduates are one-year transfers who used their final remaining year of eligibility in Madison. The fourth is a longtime program staple.
Nick Boyd
Wisconsin Badgers fans will certainly place Nick Boyd’s single-season record inside the Kohl Center as one of the most impactful individual contributions in program history. With two regular-season contests and whatever postseason opportunities UW earns remaining, Boyd is averaging 20.3 points per game. The Garnerville, New York native is on the verge of becoming the first Badger to average 20+ ppg since Michael Finley did so in 1995.
“I love to compete. It’s the whole reason why I came here—to play against the best guys in the country,” Boyd said after falling one rebound shy of a triple-double against the Iowa Hawkeyes earlier this season.
“Whether it’s a point guard, shooting guard, center, whoever it is. That’s the reason why I came to the Big Ten. I love to compete. It’s the name of the game.”
Braden Carrington
After two up-and-down seasons with the Minnesota Golden Gophers and a reset year with the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, Braeden Carrington has earned his sought-after career renaissance in Madison. With a career-high 32 points and a school-record nine three-pointers last time out against the Washington Huskies, the 6-foot-5 guard became the first Badger to score 30+ points off the bench since Rob Wilson poured in 30 against the Indiana Hoosiers in the 2012 Big Ten Tournament.
Before January, Carrington was averaging 5.2 points per game. Now, that figure is up to 8.3 ppg, and the Brooklyn Park, Minnesota native is peaking right when he wants to.
“With the portal, you know, we had so many new guys that not everything’s just gonna go so well at the beginning,” Carrington said in December after scoring nine points in a win over the Central Michigan Chippewas. “Obviously you want to play your best ball in March.”
Andrew Rohde
The third two-time transfer of UW’s graduating class, Andrew Rohde arrived back home in Madison after stints with the St. Thomas Tommies and the Virginia Cavaliers. The Brookfield native has been an unsung hero in Wisconsin’s defensive and playmaking efforts. The guard’s 2.75 assists per game trail only Boyd’s team-high 3.97; Rohde tallied nine assists in Wisconsin’s Big Ten opener against Northwestern. At the time, he became the first Badger to log 9+ dimes in a single contest since D’Mitrik Trice did so against the Penn State Nittany Lions in 2021.
“I grew up watching all the games, watching both the Final Four appearances; just being able to be here is a blessing,” Rohde said during pre-season practices of the opportunity to suit up for his hometown team. “Getting to learn from Coach Gard and all the players who have been here, just learning the system, learning the environment has been great.”
Isaac Gard
The son of head coach Greg Gard, Isaac Gard joined Wisconsin basketball as a walk-on and has since appeared in 24 career games for the Badgers. As a senior, the 6-foot-3 guard set new or matched previous career-highs in every major statistical category, including a five-point performance against the Northern Illinois Huskies.
He may be the coach’s son, but Isaac has his own penchant for shenanigans. After Blackwell hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to defeat Minnesota in Minneapolis earlier this season, the Oregon, Wisconsin native turned to the Gophers student section to deliver a good-bye wave.
“I had to!,” Isaac told Badger Breakaway in an interview this January. “They were giving it to us the whole game. So, we got the last laugh; I had to just get their reactions right after that shot win in, give them a big scream and—I was just glad that one went in.”
What to watch: Another meeting of B1G-time point guards
Boyd has relished opportunities to match up with some of the best point guards in the Big Ten. Wednesday night is his latest opportunity as David “Diggy” Coit leads the Terps into the Kohl Center.
After a pair of seasons at Northern Illinois and another spent under the tutelage of Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self, Coit transferred to Maryland under first-year UMD head coach Buzz Williams. Like Boyd, Coit is a ball-dominant guard who leads his team in both scoring (15.1 ppg) and assists (2.39 apg) in conference play.
Williams has touted Coit’s ability to “put up videogame numbers,” as the 5-foot-11 senior has twice scored 40+ this season, including a 43-point performance against Penn State in which he shot 9-15 from three. Coit’s shooting from deep, however, can charitably be described as streaky.
While those nine makes in a single game on January 18th were impressive, Coit’s shooting from beyond the arc has been lackluster as of late. He has failed to make a three-pointer on multiple attempts in three of Maryland’s last four contests. In that span, he is shooting 2-20 on threes.
Since February 15th, the Terrapins have lost four of five games. Over those 17 days, Coit has posted five turnovers while making only four three-pointers on 30 attempts.
Conversely, Wisconsin has been the sixth-most efficient offense in the country since January 1st, according to BartTorvik. UW’s 13.2% turnover rate is the eighth-best mark in the nation.
Why to watch: This is March.
It almost feels blasphemous to have had to wait four days since the month began to watch Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball. While February is literally the shortest month on the calendar, it is, ironically, the metaphorically longest for college basketball fans as we await our glorious march to April.
The Badgers have certainly had an up-and-down campaign, but UW now sits firmly in position to wear home whites in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. According to the consensus at Bracket Matrix, Wisconsin is the highest-rated seven-seed, with ample opportunity to climb another seed line.
Before the NCAA Tournament, and what looks to be UW’s 26th appearance in the last 28 tournaments (one of only five programs to do so), the Badgers still have an outside shot at a top-four conference finish and a triple-bye in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Michigan Wolverines have the outright Big Ten title clinched, leaving three teams with 14 wins just behind them. The Nebraska Cornhuskers, Illinois Fighting Illini, and Michigan State Spartans each have earned 14 wins. Wisconsin and its final regular-season opponent, the Purdue Boilermakers, both have 12 conference victories with two games remaining.
Needless to say, Wisconsin would have to win out to force a tiebreaker that could lead to a triple-bye. Michigan State has two games remaining (vs. Rutgers and at Michigan), but Nebraska (vs. Iowa) and Illinois (at Maryland) both have one remaining contest.
Due in part to UW’s loss at Nebraska in December, the Badgers cannot catch the ‘Huskers. Wisconsin would, however, claim tiebreakers over Michigan State and Illinois if any combination of the Badgers, Cornhuskers, Spartans, and Illini finishes with 14 conference wins.
In short, Wisconsin needs to win out and needs Illinois to lose at Maryland and/or Michigan State to finish 0-2 to earn a triple-bye. The Badgers have already clinched a double-bye due to previous results against Ohio State, Iowa, and (to break a potential tie with OSU) Michigan.
When, where, how to watch Wisconsin basketball vs Maryland Terrapins: TV, radio, streaming
When: Wednesday, March 4, 2026 — 7:00 p.m. Central
Where: Kohl Center — University of Wisconsin-Madison — Madison, WI
Watch/TV: FS1 (Play-by-play: Jack Kizer; Analyst: Donny Marshall)
Listen/Radio: Badger Sports Network — SiriusXM 210 or 196 (Play-by-play: Matt Lepay; Analyst: Brian Butch)
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