It's hard to put into words what senior guard Nick Boyd has meant to Wisconsin this season. He's been tremendous for head man Greg Gard, with Boyd stepping up big in some key win for the Badgers. We all saw the show he put on vs. Purdue over the weekend.
Wisconsin has some quirky odds to win the Big Ten Tournament
With the Big Ten honors being revealed on Tuesday, there was hope that Boyd would get the love and recognition he deserved. While a Second-Team nod is nothing to sneeze at, it's downright perplexing from our chair that he was snubbed of First-Team respect. A quick look at social media shows Wisconsin fans are not happy right now and we don't blame them:
Your 2026 All-@bigten first and second teams 🙌#B1GToday pic.twitter.com/txMhcM2Kbh
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 10, 2026
Nick Boyd getting snubbed of First-Team Big Ten honors is beyond frustrating
With the greatest of respect for Bennett Stirtz and Iowa hoops, it seems like that's a switch that should have been a no-brainer for the voters. The stats are comparable, as Boyd averages 20.1 points, four assists and 3.7 rebounds per game, while Stirtz averaged 20.2 points, 4.4 assists and 2.5 rebounds a night.
However, when these two teams met in February, Boyd scored 27 points in a double-digit Wisconsin win, while Stirtz finished with 23. Boyd helping UW be ranked should come into play too. Should Boyd have gotten a spot over Purdue's Braden Smith too? That's something worth debating, as the Boilermakers guard averaged 14.9 points and 8.7 assists this regular season. Boyd also beat him head-to-head this past Saturday.
It should be worth noting that in seven head-to-head matchups with these players, Nick Boyd was the higher scorer in six of the games.
— Benjamin Worgull (@TheBadgerNation) March 10, 2026
Other than Wagler's 34 points in Champaign vs UW and Smith at the Kohl Center, one could argue Boyd was the best player on the floor those games https://t.co/ISdCa10ke6
A former sharpshooter for FAU and San Diego State, Boyd signed with Wisconsin last offseason after getting plenty of interest in the transfer portal. Gard pulled off a big-time recruiting win and Boyd has thanked him with a spectacular campaign thus far.
Things aren't over for the veteran guard just yet, however, as Wisconsin has what it takes to go on a deep run in the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament as well. Boyd is going to have some extra motivation too in wanting to remind everyone he's one of the best players in the conference. He was worthy of being on the First Team in our book, but it's a shame that others didn't see things that way.