The Wisconsin basketball team has secured a 70-63 opening Big Ten Conference Tournament win over Northwestern.
The Badgers entered the game as a double-digit favorite and held onto a significant lead up until very late in the second-half of play. Wisconsin got off to a slow start against the Wildcats and looked as if they would be in trouble midway through the first-half of play, but quickly turned things around.
Wisconsin held a halftime lead over the Wildcats and never looked back, steadily keeping a multi-possession lead over Northwestern for the remainder of the game.
The Badgers will now face the UCLA Bruins in the next round of the Big Ten Conference Tournament, with a chance at securing revenge over the conference newcomer in the matchup.
Wisconsin Basketball Bounces Back Following Penn State Loss, Defeats Northwestern to Kickoff Big Ten Conference Tournament
The Wisconsin basketball team entered the Big Ten Conference Tournament still healing after a difficult stretch to end the regular season.
Wisconsin hit a season low after losing to the Penn State Nittany Lions to close out the regular season, a team that should have been defeated by double-digits. The Badgers had been hurting, both on and off the court as guard Max Klesmit was unable to participate with a lower body injury.
Klesmit made his return to the lineup for Wisconsin against Northwestern and was a pivotal part of the success of the team. The guard scored nine points and recorded two assists, along with a highlight-reel crossover that led to a three-point make.
FILTHY.
Great to have Mad Max back.#badgers pic.twitter.com/HTnYTw3IPg
— Ryan Harings (@RyanAndBucky) March 13, 2025
The star of the show for the Wisconsin basketball team was forward Nolan Winter, who had arguably his best game of the season against the Wildcats. Winter scored 18 points along with six rebounds, two assists, and two steals on 4-of-5 shooting. The forward also went 9-of-10 from the free-throw line, making the most of his many trips for the Badgers.
Star guard John Tonje recorded 18 points as well including two thunderous dunks that ignited the crowd and the Wisconsin basketball bench. Tonje was rather quiet in the first-half of play but really opened up his offense in the second-half when the Wildcats defense struggled to cover all shooting options.
What is Next for the Wisconsin Badgers Basketball Team Following Northwestern Win?
With a win over the Northwestern Wildcats in the books, the Wisconsin basketball team will now focus on the UCLA Bruins moving forward.
Previously, Wisconsin lost 85-83 in California against the Bruins is a hard-fought game where the Badgers were never able to quite close the gap. Tonje scored 24 points in one of his best performances of the season and Wisconsin flew home knowing there would be a chance that the two teams may not meet again.
However, the revenge game is on and the Badgers will have to try to put everything together once again like they did against the Wildcats.
The win over the Wildcats may have not been perfect, between the slow start and struggle to fully close-out the game. However, Wisconsin looked like a different team with a healthy Klesmit and that is a great sign moving forward for the Badgers.
If the Wisconsin basketball team can continue to move the ball around and create good opportunities, then the Bruins should not be able to get out to a solid lead like they previously had done. Wisconsin lost the first matchup mainly due to the hole that was dug in the early portion of the second-half. Without a slump or a big run, the Badgers are a tough team to go bucket-for-bucket against.
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