MADISON, Wis. — Nick Boyd scored 20 points and Wisconsin surged to an early lead to beat UCLA 80-72 in a Big Ten game Tuesday night, Jan. 6, 2026. The Wisconsin vs UCLA matchup swung early when the Badgers buried eight first-half 3-pointers, built a 14-point halftime cushion and never let the Bruins fully erase it.
Wisconsin vs UCLA: a fast start set the tone
Wisconsin hit three of its first five 3-point attempts and used a 10-0 burst to take a 13-4 lead about six minutes in, forcing UCLA into catch-up mode for most of the night. The Badgers carried a 45-31 advantage into the break after shooting 53% in the opening half and going 8-of-16 from deep, according to UCLA’s game recap.
Boyd, who added eight rebounds and five assists, got help from Nolan Winter (18 points), John Blackwell (17) and Andrew Rohde (12). Wisconsin’s postgame notes credited Boyd with his eighth 20-point outing this season in Wisconsin’s recap.
UCLA made its push after halftime, opening the second half with a 6-0 run and later trimming the margin to single digits repeatedly. A 17-7 stretch, capped by a Trent Perry 3-pointer, cut the deficit to 63-56 with 8:41 left, per the AP game recap. But Wisconsin answered each time, and the Bruins never got closer than seven the rest of the way.
Wisconsin vs UCLA by the numbers
The margin was built on the perimeter. UCLA finished 1-of-17 from 3-point range, while Wisconsin went 10-of-30, according to the ESPN box score. The Bruins shot 46% overall but couldn’t make the math work with 16 missed 3s and an 8-for-12 free-throw edge that wasn’t enough to flip the game.
Eric Dailey Jr. led UCLA with 18 points and eight rebounds. Tyler Bilodeau posted 16 points and nine rebounds, Perry scored 15, and Donovan Dent had 13 points and seven assists.
The Wisconsin vs UCLA meeting in the Big Ten’s new era
Beyond the standings, Wisconsin vs UCLA carried some history: it was UCLA’s first men’s basketball game in Madison since December 1962. It also underscored the Big Ten’s new coast-to-coast footprint after UCLA said in 2022 it would leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten (UCLA’s announcement) and formally joined the league in 2024 (UCLA Newsroom’s overview). A Sports Illustrated report from that summer detailed how the move materialized and why it reshaped schedules like this one.
Next up, UCLA returns home to host Maryland on Saturday, while Wisconsin heads to face second-ranked Michigan.
