The No. 12 Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball (23-7, 13-6 Big Ten) team held off the unranked Minnesota Golden Gophers (15-15, 7-12) 74-67 in a tough road win Wednesday, March 5.
The final result marks the ninth straight Badgers victory in the Border Battle series and got the team back in the win column following Sunday’s loss to Michigan State.
The scoring came from the usual sources as sophomore John Blackwell led the way with 25 points, accompanied by graduate student John Tonje with 18. Tonje, however, was plagued by foul trouble all night forcing head coach Greg Gard to alter a rotation that was already shorthanded with senior Max Klesmit missing his second consecutive game due to injury.
Following a Dawson Garcia 3-pointer for Minnesota to open up the game’s scoring, the Badgers posted a 12-3 run to build a comfortable lead early. Minnesota clawed back to tie the game at 14, but after a competitive first half, Wisconsin led 33-27.
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Like Sunday’s game, the 3-point shot did not fall for the Badgers as they connected on just 22.7% (5-22) of shots from deep. The team did, however, play to its strengths and got to the free throw line. Blackwell and Tonje made seven and six free throws respectively and senior Carter Gilmore, usually known for his defense, made all six of his attempts from the line.
After Wisconsin led for most of the game, a Lu’Cye Patterson 3-pointer gave Minnesota a two-point lead with 8:30 to go. The momentum swing happened with Tonje on the bench due to foul trouble, but the Badgers were able to respond.
Redshirt freshman and Minnesota native Jack Janicki, who made big plays all night, scored immediately to tie the game at 53. A few minutes later, with 4:45 to play, he drilled a tough fadeaway jumper to extend the Badger lead to five. This time, they would not surrender the lead.
In the final minute, Janicki was able to tip an offensive rebound to Blackwell, who converted on a 3-point play opportunity to go up nine and ice the game. Moments later, Janicki lost part of his front tooth, encapsulating the gritty effort by the Badgers to grab a road win.
Wisconsin will travel home to Madison to take on Penn State (15-15, 5-14) on Saturday, March 2.
While continuing to fight for a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament, the Badgers will need some help. An Illinois win over Purdue on March 7 or a Northwestern win over Maryland on March 8, combined with a Badger victory over Penn State would help avoid a three-way tie scenario in which Wisconsin would be the fifth seed.