Wisconsin experienced something for the first time this season: a Carter Gilmore game. He exploded in the second half and carried the Badgers when they needed a boost the most. He was such a huge spark that even though Wisconsin was on the road, you could hear his name chanted across Northwestern's Welsh Ryan Arena.
Chants of "Car-ter Gil-more" have broken out among the #Badgers faithful inside Welsh-Ryan Arena. pic.twitter.com/R08JAt0zrz
— Kedrick Stumbris (@KedrickStumbris) February 1, 2025
Carter Gilmore gave Wisconsin the spark they needed in the second half to beat the Northwestern Wildcats
Gilmore scored a career-high 15 points on 5-7 shooting from the field and 3-5 shooting from three with a couple of free throws to add there. He also had seven rebounds and one assist. His name went viral on X as fans were reacting to his impressive performance.
The Carter Gilmore game.
— Badger of Honor (@BadgerOfHonorFS) February 1, 2025
Wow. horrible first half...@CarterGilmore03 coming out of nowhere to be an absolute stud, and Tonje doing tonje things. ROAD WIN is always good. Feels like we stole one there!
— Rajeev (@RajeevBadgers) February 1, 2025
Updated 2025 NBA Mock Draft:
— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) February 1, 2025
1. Carter Gilmore
2. Cooper Flagg
3. Ace Bailey#Badgers pic.twitter.com/R2IqAxlYRH
Who had Carter Gilmore bailing out Wisconsin on their Bingo card? Morphing into the prep scorer who once had 49 for Arrowhead in a WIAA D-1 regional final, Gilmore triggered UW's second half comeback with career high 15 points, including back-to-back 3's that ignited the Badgers.
— Mike Lucas (@LucasAtLarge) February 1, 2025
It’s Carter Gilmore’s world. We are just living in it.
— Badgermaniac (@THEbadgermaniac) February 1, 2025
There was a moment in the game in which Northwestern had a chance to take a commanding lead, and Gilmore drained two big three-pointers to put Wisconsin down only two. It was at this point in the second half that the Badgers never looked back. They eventually would take the lead and then never give it back, making big free throws in the final minutes to seal the game.
Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard even got in on the fun as he opened his press conference with, "Today will forever be enshrined as Carter Gilmore Day." He went on to explain how important it was for Wisconsin to have his boost and that he embodies Wisconsin basketball. "His nickname is Gilly James or LeBron Gilmore, depending on the day," Gard said.
A game Gilly will never forget pic.twitter.com/N1oGC4EMVN
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) February 1, 2025
Wisconsin will now head back home for a contest against the Indiana Hoosiers on February 4. Wisconsin Athletics are marketing the game as a "White Out" game, with fans filling the arena in Wisconsin white. The tip-off will be at 8 pm CT at Kohl Center, and it's an important home game against an up-and-down Hoosier team.