The fifth-seeded Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team dominated the UCLA Bruins from the start Friday afternoon in the quarterfinal of the Big Ten Tournament. Letting the three fly, and refinding their swagger in the process, the Badgers pummeled the fourth-seeded UCLA Bruins 86-70.
For months, Wisconsin represented college basketball’s ultimate feel-good team, but after a troubling loss to Penn State in the regular season finale, Wisconsin was fairly questioned.
But Wisconsin regained its legitimacy on Friday. The Badgers’ offense, which opponents feared for much of the season, played with a flow reminiscent of mid-February. Playing a top-15 defense in UCLA, Wisconsin tied a Big Ten Tournament record with 19 3-pointers. And the Badgers found the defensive intensity missing in that now-distant loss to Penn State.
John Tonje personified Wisconsin’s resurgence. Tonje, the Badgers’ question-mark transfer turned All-American, played as confidently as he has all season, shooting 9-10 from the field and a perfect 6-6 from beyond the arc en route to a team-leading 26 points and nine rebounds.
But the box score read impressively for more than just Tonje. Fellow guard John Blackwell scored 18 points, shooting 6–11 from the field and 4-8 from 3, with five rebounds. Kamari McGee came off the bench to score 14 points on 4-5 shooting, hitting all three triples he took, as did Steven Crowl, who finished with 13 points. Together, the Badgers offense compiled 22 assists.
A day after a sleepy start vs Northwestern, Wisconsin came out of the gates against UCLA with a fiery purpose.
Blackwell and Tonje each made their first two 3-pointers, giving the Badgers an early lead. With the tone set, Wisconsin soon had its offense in an unshakable rhythm. After four points from Crowl, Tonje calmly hit two more 3s, one of which was a step-back that resulted in a four-point play.
With Wisconsin’s ball movement rolling, the 3-point barrage continued, with Xavier Amos, Max Klesmit and Crowl getting in on the action. After Amos’ second triple, Wisconsin possessed a 39-23 lead with 4:27 left in the half.
By the end of the half, Wisconsin led 48-29, shooting 61.5% from the field, and 12-19 from three.
UCLA began the second half on a 7-0 run before Wisconsin quickly warded them off. A Blackwell and-1 3-pointer took back the momentum, and from there the Badgers began rolling again. Tonje continued his efficient onslaught, scoring eight points in three possessions, pushing Wisconsin’s lead to 22.
The closest UCLA got the rest of the game was 15, as Wisconsin continued to keep the Bruins offense subdued.
The Badgers will now move on to the semi-final round, where they will meet with regular-season champion Michigan State at noon Saturday.
In their previous matchup, just under two weekends ago, Michigan State defeated Wisconsin 71-62 on the Badgers’ worst offensive day of the season. But now, Wisconsin has once again found its offensive groove and, with a win, would find themselves playing for a tournament championship.
