John Tonje rises up for the shot at Purdue

AJ Harrison

Men's Basketball February 16, 2025 Jake Ross

Starting Five: Badgers head home for Illinois rematch

Wisconsin looks to follow up on victory over No. 7 Purdue

MADISON, Wis. — After one of its best wins of the season over No. 7 Purdue, the No. 11 Wisconsin men’s basketball team faces another test, this time a home rematch against Illinois on Tuesday.

Tip at the Kohl Center is set for 7:30 p.m. (CT) on FS1. Tickets are almost gone and can be found on UWBadgers.com. Fans can also listen to the action on the Badger Sports Network.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW:

1. LAST TIME OUT

Wisconsin put together one of its best performances of the season, taking down No. 7 Purdue on the road, 94-84. After trailing for most of the first half, the Badgers kicked into gear to start the second frame, taking the lead with 15 minutes remaining. After an 11-0 run, the Badgers led by at least two possessions for the rest of the game, finishing with a 10-point victory.

John Tonje led the team with 32 points, going 10-for-15 from the field. Max Klesmit added 17 points and dished out six assists. Three other Badgers joined them in double-digits; Nolan Winter (12 points, five rebounds), John Blackwell (11 points), and Jack Janicki (11 points, 3-4 3PT).

The Badgers offense clicked on all fronts. The team shot 61.5% from the field and limited mistakes, only turning over the ball three times in the game - not doing so at all in the second half. Taking down a top-Purdue team is nothing new for the program, with this being the fifth time Wisconsin has beat a ranked Purdue team since 2018.

John Blackwell goes up for the layup at Purdue

John Blackwell (25) scored 11 second-half points at Purdue

2. ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOK

Saturday’s game was one of Wisconsin’s biggest resume boosters of the season. The Badgers now boast two top-ten ranked victories this season, having previously beaten No. 9 Arizona back in November. The win also helps Wisconsin’s positioning for the Big Ten title, currently sitting at fourth in the conference, just two games behind Michigan for the top spot.

The win is also one of the best examples of Wisconsin’s offensive explosion this season. Before Saturday, the Badgers had never scored 94 points in a win against a ranked road team. This total was also the most points Wisconsin has ever scored against Purdue on the road in more than 100 years of playing each other.

The most impressive part of Wisconsin’s scoring was their lights-out shooting. UW’s 61.5% shooting clip from the field was its highest total in a road game since at least 1993-94. Most of that efficiency came from inside the arc, where the Badgers made an absurd 20-of-22 (90.9%) on 2-pointers. No Division I team since at least 2004-05 has ever sported a 2-point percentage that high in a game before.

"He is a confident kid."

What a showing by @jackjackjanicki at Purdue! pic.twitter.com/Z54D6E27i7
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) February 16, 2025

3. JACK JACK ATTACK

Early in the Purdue game, Badger sixth man Kamari McGee was ejected from the game after running into a Boilermaker screen. With Wisconsin down one guard on the depth chart, the Badgers relied on redshirt freshman Jack Janicki to fill in McGee’s three-and-d role.

Janicki excelled in the opportunity. The White Bear Lake, Minnesota native immediately collected a block against Purdue’s Braden Smith after checking into the game, before going 3-for-4 from the 3-point line on his way to a career-high 11 points. Janicki made smart off-ball choices, relocating himself to open space throughout the game, and disrupted opposing plays with his defense.

The freshman’s previous career-high of nine points came when Wisconsin beat No. 9 Arizona, meaning that Janicki is averaging 10.0 points per game against top-ten teams in his career. For the season, Wisconsin is now 11-1 when Janicki plays over 10 minutes.

4. PLAYER OF THE YEAR CANDIDATE

It was another excellent performance for John Tonje on Saturday, continuing his case as one of the Nation’s top players. Tonje scored 32 points against Purdue, his third 30+ point game this season. At one point during the second half, Tonje scored 13 of 16 Badger points, the majority of which helped Wisconsin go on its 11-0 run to take the lead.

Earlier in the week, John Tonje made the Naismith Men’s Player of the Year Midseason Team - recognizing the top players in the country. This was the second national midseason recognition Tonje received for the season, already making the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason watch list.

The grad is now averaging 19.2 points per game, and is a serious contender for the Big Ten Player of the Year. Among all Big Ten players averaging at least 19.0 points per game, Tonje has the highest 3-point percentage, free-throw percentage, and is on the team with the best overall record.

Nolan Winter scored 15 points against Illinois

Nolan Winter (31) scored 15 points when playing Illinois earlier in the season

5. FIGHTING ILLINI REMATCH

Tuesday’s upcoming game will be again the Illinois Fighting Illini, the second time the two teams face off this season. Wisconsin last played Illinois on the road in December, where the Badgers lost, 86-80. UW was outrebounded in the game, 40-29, and had an uncharacteristic shooting performance at the free throw line, shooting a season low 66.7% on 21 attempts.

A bright spot for Wisconsin was Nolan Winter, who scored a then-career-high 15 points in the game. Winter led the team in points and in rebounds with seven. John Tonje, Max Klesmit, and John Blackwell all put in double-digit scoring performances as well.

Since facing the Badgers on December 10, the Illini have struggled to find consistency, going 10-7 in that stretch, with a 5-6 mark in their last 11 games. Most recently the team lost to No. 11 Michigan State where, after leading 65-64 in the second half, the Illini were outscored 15-0 in the final eight minutes, allowing the Spartans to take a, 79-65 victory. The team is still led by its freshman guard, Kaspara Jakucionis, who is averaging 16.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game.

Sticky Bar

Wisconsin Badgers