3 quick takeaways from the Badgers 74-67 win over Minnesota: Can it get any uglier?
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The Badgers barely edged by their rivals on the road for a much needed win?
In one of their ugliest games of the season, the No. 12 Wisconsin Badgers edged past the Minnesota Golden Gophers 74-67, getting by with a last-minute push to sweep the Border Battle season series.
Wisconsin had a number of glaring issues on Wednesday night, shooting poorly from three yet again, while struggling to get much offense, but a strong defensive performance and some great play from stars led the way in the win.
With the win, Wisconsin improves to 23-7 on the season and 13-6 in conference play, jumping back to No. 4 in the Big Ten behind Michigan State, Michigan, and Maryland.
Here are three quick takeaways from Wisconsin’s 74-67 win over Minnesota on Wednesday.
The Badgers really missed the presence of Max Klesmit in multiple ways in their loss to Michigan State over the weekend.
That was the same again on Wednesday against Minnesota, as the role players struggled to take on a bigger responsibility, while Wisconsin’s starting forwards had a forgettable night.
That meant John Blackwell and John Tonje were going to have to will Wisconsin to victory if the Badgers were to win. And that’s exactly what they did.
Both players set the tone early, as the duo had 20 of Wisconsin’s first 27 points, finishing with 24 of the Badgers’ 33 first-half points. Not many other players were even willing to take shots, with Crowl filling in with seven of his own on 3/5 shooting.
But, even with the seven points, Crowl passed up a number of 1-on-1 opportunities, playing too passive, which was especially evident in the second half.
Wisconsin’s lead began to slip in the second half, as they had to play much of the period without Tonje, who picked up a quick third foul, sending him to the bench just three and a half minutes in.
Tonje came back in at the 11:42 mark but picked up his fourth foul on a drive three minutes later, once again sending him to the bench for an extended period of time.
With one of Wisconsin’s top two scorers on the bench, Minnesota began to slowly chip away at the lead, even taking control at a few points in the second half. But, John Blackwell came to play with 11 second-half points.
After four back-to-back points to get Wisconsin an 11-point lead, Blackwell began to take over after Minnesota came back to tie the game. He first hit a three to break the tie and then later got a layup to go after the Gophers took the lead to tie the game once again.
From there, it was Blackwell’s aggressiveness that primarily set the tone, even if shots weren’t falling, as Wisconsin was able to get seven offensive rebounds in the period, while hitting the free throw line for 19 second-half attempts.
Blackwell then had his biggest moment in the final minute, getting a crucial and-1 to go, which essentially served as the dagger.
Tonje still had eight points in the period, but Blackwell was instrumental on a night where it seemed like several Badgers players were hesitant to be aggressive offensively.
Both players were vital to Wisconsin’s offense, securing a much-needed win to remain at the forefront of the Big Ten’s double-bye race.
Despite being a redshirt freshman, Jack Janicki has had his best games in some very clutch moments.
He had nine points in Wisconsin’s 103-88 win over Arizona to begin the year, playing a then-career high 19 minutes. He had 11 points on 4/6 from the field stepping in for Kamari McGee in the major victory over Purdue, playing 17 minutes.
Then, on Wednesday, with Max Klesmit out and John Tonje in foul trouble, Janicki was the missing piece in Wisconsin’s path to victory, scoring six points in 22 minutes, with some of those buckets coming at crucial moments.
Janicki played 14 minutes in the second half and had timely contributions, starting off with a layup where he wasn’t hesitant, putting the ball on the ground off the perimeter and taking a contested layup at the rim, getting it to go when Wisconsin really needed a bucket. That tied the game at 53 a piece.
Minutes later, with the shot clock fading, Janicki took matters into his own hands, taking his defender 1-on-1 into the paint before hitting a tough fadeaway jumper as the clock hit zero to give the Badgers a five-point lead.
He followed that up with a nice cut for a layup for Wisconsin’s next bucket, scoring all six of his points within a six-minute span in the second half.
But, his biggest contribution came in the final minute, as he soared to tip an offensive rebound to John Blackwell, who capitalized with an and-1 that served as the dagger.
Wisconsin needed at least one role player to step up on Wednesday. And while quite a few had down games, Janicki rose to the occasion, getting six points, three rebounds, three assists, a block, and a steal in a career-high 22 minutes of action.
More importantly, he found a way to make winning plays when his team needed to, filling his role to a tee.
The Badgers need Max Klesmit. And they need him bad.
Several of Wisconsin’s woes that showed up against Michigan State repeated itself on Wednesday.
And you can point to the fact that they were games on the road in the Big Ten. But, the product was ugly, and there needs to be change if Wisconsin is to see success in March.
The Badgers have top-level scorers with John Tonje and John Blackwell. But, they’ve been predicated all year on balance and depth, with players stepping up in the right moment.
Without Klesmit, there just isn’t enough balance in the lineup, thrusting players into uncomfortable roles.
Kamari McGee is best suited as a defense-first guard who provides energy and a spark off the bench. His offensive skillset has certainly matured this year, but he’s still best suited to be secondary ball-handler working in the corner, where his three-point percentage has been high and the option to beat defenders baseline with a fake for a layup is also available.
But, without Klesmit, McGee is more of a primary ball-handler, putting him in more of an uncomfortable situation, where he’s not taking shots that are the most efficient for him. After a 1/8 game against Michigan State where McGee was a -17 in the box score, the point guard was scoreless on three attempts Wednesday, not looking for his shot much.
He did have five assists, working more as a facilitator, but the lack of shot-creators on the court was apparent.
Carter Gilmore has also looked out of sorts at times offensively over the past few games, as the lack of shot-creators has hurt him as well, with the forward passing up a few catch-and-shoot threes.
Gilmore hasn’t shot well recently, but him being placed in a different role has also put the offense out of sorts.
Without Klesmit, the Badgers are too reliant on Tonje and Blackwell, which forces more shots from them and more missed threes from the team overall, as there are less attempts from deep by the top players on the team.
Klesmit also adds another edge defensively, although Wisconsin has been good in that department as of late. But, they’re missing his presence as a ball-handler alongside Blackwell to set up those pick-and-roll actions where defenses have to be aware of every avenue that comes out of it.
Now, should people start fading the Badgers after their last two games? No. They’re not at full strength and are a much better team with Klesmit in the lineup. But, these past two have shown the worries that Wisconsin could have if they’re not fully healthy heading into the tournament.
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Gophers men’s basketball team tries but fails to add a home highlight against Wisconsin
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GOPHERS
The Gophers have had two victories over ranked teams at Williams Arena this season. The No. 12 Badgers didn’t let it happen again.
By Marcus Fuller
Blackwell carries No. 12 Wisconsin past Minnesota 74-67 with 25 points and career-best 11 boards
Steven Crowl throws down powerful jam vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers
MINNEAPOLIS — — John Blackwell had 25 points and a career-high 11 rebounds to help 12th-ranked Wisconsin beat Minnesota 74-67 on Wednesday night.
John Tonje added 18 points and seven boards for the Badgers (23-7, 13-6), who forged a three-way tie for third place in the Big Ten with a top-four seed and the accompanying double-bye for the conference tournament in sight.
Wisconsin, the national free-throw shooting leader, went 21 for 24. Minnesota, the Big Ten’s worst team at the line, was 8 for 15.
Brennan Rigsby led the Gophers (15-15, 7-12) with 18 points and Lu’Cye Patterson added 15 points in Minnesota’s ninth straight loss to Wisconsin. Dawson Garcia, the Big Ten’s fourth-leading scorer, had 14 points on 6-for-17 shooting in his last home game.
Takeaways
Wisconsin: Without starter Max Klesmit for a second straight game, the Badgers endured a couple of concerning offensive lulls by committing only two turnovers in a resilient second half that saw an 11-point lead become a two-point deficit.
Minnesota: Finding scoring beyond Garcia has been a grind for the Gophers, the only Big Ten team averaging below 70 points per game. Rigsby, who had a career-high 20 points and the go-ahead 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds left in a 67-65 win at Nebraska on Saturday, has been a late bright spot.
Key moment
Patterson drew a charge on Tonje that sent him to the bench with four fouls and 8:48 left and hit a 3-pointer for a 53-51 lead that briefly put Minnesota in front.
Key stat
Garcia’s 3-pointer on the opening possession hit the 2,000-point mark for his five-year college career, which includes one season each at Marquette and North Carolina. He’s 10th on Minnesota’s all-time scoring list in 87 games.
Up next
Wisconsin wraps up conference play Saturday against Penn State. Minnesota finishes Sunday at Rutgers.
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Game Information
2024-25 Big Ten Conference Standings
Men’s College Basketball News
| 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|
| WIS | 33 | 41 | 74 |
| MINN | 27 | 40 | 67 |
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 15-3 | – | 24-5 |
| Michigan | 14-5 | 1.5 | 22-8 |
| Maryland | 13-6 | 2.5 | 23-7 |
| Wisconsin | 13-6 | 2.5 | 23-7 |
| Purdue | 13-6 | 2.5 | 21-9 |
| UCLA | 12-7 | 3.5 | 21-9 |
| Oregon | 11-8 | 4.5 | 22-8 |
| Illinois | 11-8 | 4.5 | 19-11 |
| Indiana | 9-10 | 6.5 | 18-12 |
| Ohio State | 9-10 | 6.5 | 17-13 |
| Nebraska | 7-12 | 8.5 | 17-13 |
| Northwestern | 7-12 | 8.5 | 16-14 |
| Minnesota | 7-12 | 8.5 | 15-15 |
| Rutgers | 7-12 | 8.5 | 14-16 |
| Iowa | 6-12 | 9 | 15-14 |
| USC | 6-12 | 9 | 14-15 |
| Penn State | 5-14 | 10.5 | 15-15 |
| Washington | 4-14 | 11 | 13-16 |
