The Wisconsin Badgers did something no one thought would happen, knocking off the No. 2 team in the nation on the road. That's exactly what they did, stunning the Michigan Wolverines 91-88. After the game, the Badgers did something that we've seen a lot from the women's basketball team: the entire team did the post-game interview together. It was an interview for John Blackwell, but they all stood around while CBS asked Blackwell questions.
Then John Blackwell delivered quote after quote of absolutely amazing energy. He said that the team's mindset was to be "the villain of today." That quote alone deserves to go viral, but there's so much more in the rest of the interview that will have Wisconsin fans fired up. Watch the whole interview below:
"I told this group, 'let's be the villain of today'" 😈
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) January 10, 2026
John Blackwell told Bill Raftery the Badgers had a chip on their shoulder today. @BadgerMBB pic.twitter.com/LSZ3xNSy68
John Blackwell declares the gritty win showcased the 'Wisconsin way'
Related: 3 major reasons Wisconsin pulled off the upset over No. 2 Michigan
Wisconsin earned the win through outworking Michigan. Even though the Badgers won the game, it would be hard to say that Wisconsin has the more talented and deep roster. However, Greg Gard would tell you, effort beats talent every day of the week. That's exactly how the Badgers were able to pull it off.
They also outshot Michigan, even on the road. Wisconsin went 15-33 from three-point range while the Wolverines only went 8-25. A big reason for that surge was Aleksas Bieliauskas, who went 5-10 from three. He ended the game with 17 points.
"We're fighters...This is a program thing, we play hard and physical." "John Blackwell
The culture never gave up, even though they lost a few frustrating games, and when others gave up on this team, the Badgers never gave up on each other. That's what Blackwell said was the key to beating Michigan.
This was the biggest resume-booster game they could have had. The Badgers went from having zero quad-1 wins to having literally the best one, beating the top NET-ranked team on the road.
