The loss to Purdue was a frustrating one for many reasons. Mostly, it exposed that the Wisconsin Badgers would need to be flawless to beat the best teams in the Big Ten. They just don't have enough depth or ability to hang. The roster construction doesn't give them much room for error. They need every player to play 100% the whole game. That frustration seeped onto the court for Nick Boyd.
Boyd was seen in the game yelling at Austin Rapp, the beleaguered forward who has yet to be consistently reliable this season. After the game, Boyd explained it away, saying that he was frustrated because "he wants to win so bad."
Nick Boyd and Austin Rapp were asked about the exchange they had in the second half where Boyd appeared to get after Rapp following a couple of offensive rebounds for Purdue and a loose ball win.
— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) January 4, 2026
"I want to win so bad."
Full press confernece: https://t.co/w0dqssg4qb #Badgers pic.twitter.com/uKiYH20jPv
Nick Boyd expresses that he and Austin Rapp are good and just in the battle together
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In the video above, posted by Evan Flood, you can see Boyd explain that it's just a natural fire, born of wanting to win and wanting the best for his teammates. He and "Aussie" are good, and they were in the battle together.
Austin Rapp followed it up by saying, "Nick is one of our leaders... I take it as a compliment when he gets on me because he believes in me; he knows I can do better."
This team hasn't found it yet, and it will take digging deep and coming together to pull off the big wins, but they have enough to be able to do it; there just isn't room for error. One of the ways they need to do it is to see more from their sophomore forward, Rapp. He seems, at times, to be lost out there or playing too soft.
It's not surprising to see Boyd get on him or push him, because there are times when Rapp shows he can do what needs to be done, but it's the consistency that is missing.