The No. 16 Wisconsin Badgers arrived in West Lafayette, Indiana, this weekend already in the midst of an impressive season. But after upsetting the No. 7 Purdue Boilermakers 94-84 in front of a packed Mackey Arena Saturday afternoon, Wisconsin left demanding the respect of the nation.
With a rip-roaring, 58-point second half, the Badgers overcame a nine-point deficit in the foul-troubled first half and the controversial ejection of a key player to secure their most impressive win of the season.
Led by the emerging stardom of guard John Tonje, who scored 32 points on 10-15 shooting with six rebounds and three assists, Wisconsin’s offense continued its season-long tradition of dicing up opposing defenses. Guard Max Klesmit scored 17 points, shooting 5-10, with six assists. Forward Nolan Winter contributed 12 points, while John Blackwell and Jack Janicki each added 11.
"They're just extremely confident. They know, collectively, they are a really good team,” head coach Greg Gard said of his team after the game. “And obviously, we've got major star power too with some guys, but just how they rallied together.”
A career-high 30 points from Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn wasn’t enough to propel the Boilermakers, who largely controlled the first half.
In a close first half, early foul trouble almost doomed the Badgers. With 6:46 remaining in the half, Blackwell picked up his second foul, forcing him to the bench for the remainder of the half. Then, at the 6:20 mark, key bench player Kamari McGee received a flagrant-2, disqualifying him from the game. Chasing Purdue point guard Braden Smith around a screen, McGee came in contact with the midsection of Koffman-Renn hard enough for the officials to deem it ejection-worthy.
With McGee out of the game, Wisconsin, playing in one of the toughest atmospheres in college basketball, refused to back down. The Badgers trailed 31-22 in the aftermath of the McGee ejection, but a gritty finish to the half sent Wisconsin to the locker room trailing only 37-36.
Without McGee, the Badgers knew they would need someone else to step up to emerge victorious. Janicki came to the table, and then some. Janicki averages 10 minutes a game but played 17 on Saturday, using those elevated minutes to reach a career-high 11 points, and three 3-pointers.
“It just shows the maturity of this team,” Blackwell said. “Me picking up two fouls early and sitting the whole first half and Kamari getting ejected. It just shows (that it’s) next guy up. Jack Janicki stepped up. It just shows our team is a well-oiled machine. We just keep going.”
The beginning of the second half resulted in more of the back-and-forth action of the first half. Then, Tonje began to take over.
With 17:17 remaining, Tonje hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 45. He then converted on a lay-up and hit another 3-pointer, this time while being fouled. His extra free throw gave Wisconsin a 51-50 lead, one they would not give up.
On Wisconsin’s next possession, Tonje drove for two more points, before Blackwell hit a 3. Tonje capped off his incredible run with a pull-up jumper in the paint to give the Badgers a 58-50 lead. Over Wisconsin’s first 11 possessions of the second half, Tonje scored 13 points, turning the game forever in Wisconsin’s direction.
Wisconsin continued to overwhelm Purdue offensively the rest of the afternoon, shooting 72% in the second half to secure a hard-fought, gritty victory.
In beating Purdue, Wisconsin handed the Boilermakers their second loss of the week. Still two games behind Michigan in the Big Ten standings, the Badgers stay within striking distance of the regular season title.
But more importantly than the standings, with their win over Purdue, Wisconsin showed it can beat anybody on any given day. On the road, against the No. 7 team in the nation, the Badgers took their punches and left smiling.
