Talkin’ Badgers: A Wisconsin Badgers Football and Basketball Podcast

Despite its deflating loss at the hands of a middling Ohio State Buckeyes squad, this Wisconsin basketball team is still the same group that earned top-10 road wins in Ann Arbor over the Michigan Wolverines and in Champaign over the Illinois Fighting Illini (not to mention a dominating victory over Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans).

This UW squad that fell 86-69 in Columbus is the same one that erased a massive deficit against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, because it is the same group that put itself in the precarious position of needing a historic comeback to sweep the Gophers.

Wisconsin is flawed, but its flaws are what make this basketball team so exciting. It is the traits that seemingly give the Badgers a chance to beat any team on a given night that also make them so vulnerable.

After back-to-back wins over Illinois and Michigan State, the ceiling of head coach Greg Gard’s latest squad was realized. It did not, however, eliminate the risks of employing a team built around two ball-dominant guards and effective long-range shooting. When either of those two factors, let alone both at once, is lost, this is a basketball team that quickly comes crashing down to Earth.

But hey, that’s college basketball.

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Facing a 20-point deficit in the first half, all seemed lost for Wisconsin basketball on Wednesday night. By intermission, that lead slimmed narrowly to 18 points, but that was just enough for the Wisconsin Badgers to mount a comeback tied for the largest in program history.

Led by John Blackwell’s game-high 23 points, UW, for the second time in eight days, escaped with a dramatic victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers. By capturing the 67-63 win, Wisconsin tied a program record for the largest deficit overcome in a second half and set a new record with its longest-ever winning streak over its border battle rival.

Unpack all the history of the win, a handful of key plays, and what made this Wisconsin men’s basketball win different than its other recent come-from-behind victories. This time, Wisconsin won thanks, in part, to a hard-nosed defensive effort, and not solely on the back of its prolific offense; that signals a continued upward trajectory for these Badgers.

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With recent injuries to NBA Draft prospects John Blackwell and Nolan Winter, Wisconsin basketball could be shorthanded when facing the in-state Milwaukee Panthers. As Big Ten play looms, the Wisconsin Badgers cannot afford to slip up, no matter their injury situation.

If Blackwell and Winter are unable to play, UW will quickly have to find the secondary scoring options it has been lacking. Against the Central Michigan Chippewas, transfers Braeden Carrington and Austin Rapp combined for 27 points, showcasing some promise of becoming reliable options alongside Blackwell, Winter, and Nick Boyd.

A fast-paced Milwaukee team could test a questionable Badgers defense. Liam Hanley of the Shepherd Express joins Talkin’ Badgers host Kedrick Stumbris to offer the Panthers’ perspective on the non-conference matchup. This year’s version of head coach Bart Lundy’s Milwaukee Panthers is younger than his other recent teams, but it remains an offense-first program. A welcome change from years past, however, is Milwaukee’s surprising knack for taking care of the basketball.

Between injuries, high-octane offense, and the Panthers playing three games in four days, this winter break matchup may wind up more closely-contested than Badgers fans would prefer.

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All wins on an NCAA Tournament resume are good wins. But a win, in a presumably hostile environment, against a top-20 team would be a great win on Wisconsin basketball‘s NCAA Tournament resume.

The No. 24 Wisconsin Badgers are out west in Salt Lake City, Utah, to face the No. 9 BYU Cougars. Although the team that cut UW’s March Madness run short less than eight months ago is above Wisconsin in the human polls, some computers like the Badgers more than the Cougars on a neutral court.

This game, notably not on BYU’s campus, however, will not be a neutral environment. In Wisconsin’s first test away from the Kohl Center this season, it faces a daunting crowd, a preseason All-American in the frontcourt, and another former five-star prospect running point.

While the Badgers are fully healthy, the Cougars may not be. BYU is potentially down two of its starters, and that opens up a golden opportunity for UW to put a gold star on its resume before Thanksgiving. It is an opportunity most college basketball teams cannot afford to give up.

Join today’s episode of Talkin’ Badgers to find out who’s in, who’s out, and why this November matchup could mean so much for Wisconsin come tournament time.

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When the Wisconsin Badgers took to Barry Alvarez Field inside Camp Randall Stadium against the Washington Huskies, Luke Fickell had earned three votes of confidence from Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh. Still, he had yet to earn one from Badgers fans. Under Fickell’s stewardship, Wisconsin football had lost six consecutive games, had not beaten a Big Ten foe in over a year, and was 0-9 against ranked opponents.

With 60 minutes of complementary football, Fickell just might have changed some hearts and minds.

“The whole locker room has been behind Coach Fick since day one,” linebacker Cooper Catalano said in a post-game interview. The Germantown native logged a game-high 19 tackles–the most by any Badgers freshman since at least 1995.

Catalano and Mason Posa, both true freshmen, led the way for a classic Badgers’ victory achieved first and foremost through its defense. The duo combined for four of Wisconsin’s nine tackles for loss.

“They’re just doing a great job. They’re playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played,” Fickell boasted of the pairing thrust into the starting lineup due, in part, to injuries. “They have that energy. They bring that energy. They have a communication side to them, too. There’s some natural–I don’t want to say alpha but–there’s some natural things that you don’t teach.”

As the late hours on Saturday turned to the early hours on Sunday, Talkin’ Badgers went live to break down the Catalano, Posa, backup punter/unexpected leading passer Sean West, and the fourth-string turned gutsy go-to-guy Carter Smith of it all.

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A third of the college football regular season remains unplayed, but University of Wisconsin Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh has seen enough. McIntosh has decided that, even if Wisconsin football finishes 2-10, Luke Fickell will be the Wisconsin Badgers’ head coach in 2026.

BadgerNotes columnist Seamus Rohrer, who declared on September 20th, 2025, that it was time “to move on from Luke Fickell,” disagrees with McIntosh’s decision, calling it “the definition of insanity.” Nevertheless, Rohrer is “not surprised” by the news.

“I think the writing was on the wall. I think that we understood that the buyout, especially in the neighborhood of – what, $27 million? – was really steep.” Rohrer explained on Talkin’ Badgers, “I think we understood that McIntosh and his legacy are pretty directly tied to Fickell. I think we also understood that this is not a great year to get into the coaching market, the coaching carousel.”

Listen to Rohrer and host Kedrick Stumbris analyze where Wisconsin goes from here, what the “intention” of increased investment can and cannot fix, and the sticky situation the Badgers now find themselves in to assess Fickell’s job performance before 2027.

*Read Seamus's Film Room breakdown of the Oregon game

*Read Seamus's column and interview with Mason Posa

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A third of the college football regular season remains unplayed, but University of Wisconsin Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh has seen enough. McIntosh has decided that, even if Wisconsin football finishes 2-10, Luke Fickell will be the Wisconsin Badgers’ head coach in 2026.

BadgerNotes columnist Seamus Rohrer, who declared on September 20th, 2025, that it was time “to move on from Luke Fickell,” disagrees with McIntosh’s decision, calling it “the definition of insanity.” Nevertheless, Rohrer is “not surprised” by the news.

“I think the writing was on the wall. I think that we understood that the buyout, especially in the neighborhood of – what, $27 million? – was really steep.” Rohrer explained on Talkin’ Badgers, “I think we understood that McIntosh and his legacy are pretty directly tied to Fickell. I think we also understood that this is not a great year to get into the coaching market, the coaching carousel.”

Listen to Rohrer and host Kedrick Stumbris analyze where Wisconsin goes from here, what the “intention” of increased investment can and cannot fix, and the sticky situation the Badgers now find themselves in to assess Fickell’s job performance before 2027.

*Read Seamus's Film Room breakdown of the Oregon game

*Read Seamus's column and interview with Mason Posa

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We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become the leading source for independent Wisconsin Badgers coverage.

Four games remain on the 2025 Wisconsin football schedule, but you would not know it from the headlines coming out of Madison. On a bombshell news day, University of Wisconsin Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh quashed any speculation on Luke Fickell’s job security, indicating that the Badgers head coach will return to the sideline of Barry Alvarez Field in 2026.

“Coach Fickell has had my confidence throughout the season,” McIntosh said. “And we’ve had many, many conversations about how this season, and some of the challenges that we’ve faced have gone.”

Those challenges–including a six-game losing streak, a 0-9 record against ranked opponents, and an empty trophy case–have not deterred McIntosh at any turn from expressing support for the head coach hired during McIntosh’s second year on the job. In the past 47 days, the former offensive lineman, now Director of Athletics, has issued three public statements supporting Fickell.

As news broke, Talkin’ Badgers went live to discuss the news of Fickell’s return, the promise of additional resources to the Wisconsin football program, and the highly-touted “alignment” between the Office of the Chancellor down to the assistant coaches.

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It has not yet translated to wins on the field, but Wisconsin football head coach Luke Fickell believes his team is moving in the right direction. “Internally, we are seeing a growth; it’s a little bit harder to see externally,” Fickell said two-thirds of the way through his third season at the helm of the Wisconsin Badgers.

Week-to-week, month-to-month, season-to-season, that internal growth has not shown up. Now, staring down the barrel of a disastrous season in terms of wins and losses, statistical production, and to generate buy-in among a fanbase longing for something to cling to, Fickell is considering a change at quarterback.

The Talkin’ Badgers After Dark crew reconvenes to break down Fickell’s odd comments, what it means for the culture in year three, and why Wisconsin has been incapable of getting opposing offenses to cough up the ball.

Plus, stick around for a palette cleanser as the guys discuss why Wisconsin men’s basketball head coach Greg Gard is “excited about what this team isn’t.”

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Bye weeks in college football are well known for creating more opportunities for up-and-coming talent. With six consecutive losses in the rearview mirror, Wisconsin football head coach Luke Fickell seems to be leaving no stone unturned. At his weekly press conference, Fickell said true freshman Carter Smith is ‘in the mix’ to start this week against the Washington Huskies.

The potential switch comes amid seemingly endless questions about the availability of injured players, not just for UW’s quarterbacks but for impact players throughout the lineup. Eight of Wisconsin’s projected Week 1 starters did not play against the Oregon Ducks. No position group has seen more consistent inconsistency than the offensive line. In eight games, the Badgers have trotted out seven different starting fives on the OL.

Talkin’ Badgers breaks down the latest injury updates shared by Fickell, including three season-ending injuries, and how it impacts the four regular-season games remaining. Plus, what has been the Wisconsin offense’s biggest Achilles heel: the quarterback or the bodies in front of him?

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