Michigan Suffers First Defeat of 2025-26 Basketball Season After 91-88 Upset Loss at Home to Wisconsin

By George Eisner on January 10, 2026 at 5:22 pm
Michigan basketball guard Roddy Gayle Jr.
Junfu Han, USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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After one of the most dominant starts to any college basketball season ever, Dusty May and Michigan men's basketball finally suffered their first loss of the 2025-26 campaign on Saturday afternoon. The Wolverines lost at home to the Wisconsin Badgers by a 91-88 final score after former Ohio State guard Roddy Gayle Jr. missed a potential game-tying three-pointer in the final seconds of the game.

Prior to this week, Michigan hoops had started its schedule on an absolute tear across the country. The Wolverines had an average margin of victory beyond 34 points going back to their November win over Middle Tennessee State, a streak that included blowout wins over three ranked opponents in the form of Auburn, Gonzaga and USC.

Following Michigan's 96-66 dismantling of the Trojans last weekend, the popular Pomeroy College Basketball Rankings awarded the Wolverines its second-highest team rating ever behind only 1998-99 Duke. The Blue Devils that season finished with a 37-2 record before losing to UConn in the National Championship.

Michigan traveled to Penn State earlier this week as a 22-point favorite over a Nittany Lions squad missing its scoring and assists leader in Kayden Mingo. The Wolverines nearly blew a 15-point lead with 10 minutes remaining in the second half, but survived for a 74-72 win after PSU missed a potential game-winning three-point attempt on the game's final possession.

The result ended up foreshadowing what would be a return-to-earth for Michigan basketball a handful of days later. Wisconsin entered the day with a 10-5 record, no road wins this season and a 3-3 mark over their last six games that included losses to Nebraska, Villanova — a team the Wolverines beat by 28 points a month ago — and Purdue.

The game was competitive throughout, featuring a 38-37 score favoring Michigan at halftime prior to the Badgers finally breaking ahead less than a minute out of the break. The Wolverines then recaptured the lead prior to the 10-minute mark, but Wisconsin kept the game close and went back in front just a couple of minutes later.

Michigan would not lead again until Gayle Jr. hit his only three-point make of the game with just over four minutes remaining to put Michigan ahead by a 84-83 score. From there, no Wolverine other than Gayle Jr. would record a successful field goal as the Badgers outscored the opposing team 8-4 the rest of the way while locking down the floor to secure a 91-88 win and one of the biggest upsets in college basketball this season.

Michigan next travels to Washington and Oregon before returning home to face Indiana, then will face Ohio State for the first time this season on January 23rd in Ann Arbor. As for Wisconsin, the Badgers will play five more Big Ten opponents before welcoming the Buckeyes to Madison at the end of the month on January 31st.


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