Ohio State forward Devin Royal (21) gestures in front of Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde (7) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

COLUMBUS — Bruce Thornton scored 27 points and Devin Royal added 25 for Ohio State as the Buckeyes knocked off No. 24 Wisconsin 86-69 Tuesday night.

Ohio State (17-9, 9-6 Big Ten) beat a ranked team for the first time in seven tries this season.

Braeden Carrington made five 3-pointers in the second half and led the Badgers with 20 points while Nick Boyd and John Blackwell each had 14 points.

Wisconsin (18-8, 10-5) entered as one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten, having beaten then-No. 8 Illinois and then-No. 10 Michigan State last week, but the Badgers couldn’t overcome a first half in which they shot 40% from the floor.

Ohio State shot 51.7% in the first half, including going 6 for 13 from 3-point range, to build a 38-26 lead at the break. The Buckeyes were 11 for 21 from behind the arc for the game.

The Buckeyes extended the lead to 18 with 12:41 to go in the second half, and the Badgers never got closer than 12 the rest of the way. They stayed hot after intermission, making 16 of 28 from the floor (57.1%).

Thornton passed Jerry Lucas and William Buford to move into third place on Ohio State’s career scoring list. The senior guard surpassed 2,000 career points on a layup with 3:04 left.

Thornton has 2,005 points and trails Herb Williams (2,011) and Dennis Hopson (2,096) on the career list.

Up next

Wisconsin: Hosts Iowa on Sunday.

Ohio State: at Michigan State on Sunday.