Wisconsin lost in overtime to Indiana by just one point, but it's not the loss that stings--it's how it happened.
The Badgers were up by one with just seconds remaining until John Blackwell was called for a defensive foul that gave Indiana two free throws to go up one with two seconds left. Blackwell, by most accounts, played perfect defense on the play, but the referees saw things differently. Here's the play in question.
This is textbook defense. Walls him up, beats him to the spot, hands up, and the guy falls over and gets the call pic.twitter.com/WCVFaGfPdl
— John Dekker (@dekkerj) February 7, 2026
After Indiana sunk their free throws, Wisconsin was left with no choice but to toss up a prayer from halfcourt. After the game, former Badger legend Sam Dekker didn't hold back on his thoughts about the call.
What an embarrassingly bullshit, showtime call. @bigten got referees that want to be the story? Insanely amateur call.
— Sam Dekker (@dekker) February 7, 2026
Badger star erupts on officiating crew after a bad calls dooms the Badgers against Indiana
The game was a back-and-forth battle that tested both team until almost the very end, when a very questionable call sealed the Badgers fate. Blackwell had a chance to end things in regulation, but his mid-range jumper bounced off the rim as the buzzer went off. Ultimately, the game felt like it came down to a call that never should have been made.
Dekker is one in a long line of Badger fans who want some explanation for the call, which seemed like a perfectly defended play. Even Indiana fans could probably admit that they caught a break with this one. And while the loss won't totally doom the Badgers tournament dreams, it certainly makes their path to the Big Dance a bit more difficult.
A loss is fine, those happen. But this one hurts more just because the Badgers had a crucial call go the wrong way at the worst possible time. After dropping to 16-7 overall and 8-4 in conference play, Wisconsin will now have to try and rebound against No. 5 Illinois on Tuesday.