John Tonje.
The Big Ten Player of Year Candidate finished the game with 32 points, the most in any game in Big Ten Tournament history. The superstar simply took over this game and propelled the Badgers to a huge 77-74 win over a very good Michigan State team.
Michigan State got off to a hot start, leading by as many as eight points early on as Wisconsin struggled to to score from beyond the arc. While Wisconsin was lights out from deep against UCLA on Friday, their prolific shooting didn't follow them into Saturday. The Badgers refused to look into the post for most of the game, instead often settling for poor three-point attempts and they finished just 31% from three-point range.
The "Johns" (Tonje and Blackwell) got off to a slow start, with Tonje's first field goal not coming until nine minutes left in the first half. But Tonje eventually found a rhythm and took over the game for the Badgers, finishing with 32 points on 8-for-15 shooting. Blackwell took awhile to get going on the offensive end but ended as the Badgers' second-leading scorer. The two Johns should continue to be the Badgers first and second scoring options without much consistency from Max Klesmit, who again struggled offensively.
Wisconsin ended the half with a strong push, while also holding Michigan State without a field goal in last five minutes of the first half. They went into half with the lead despite the poor shooting, and briefly gave it up early in the second before going on an 11-0 run.
Carter Gilmore provided a spark in the second half, giving the Badgers some much needed juice from off the bench. He had the game-winning block to secure a Wisconsin victory and also added 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting while the rest of the bench was largely forgettable in this one, including Kamari McGee who only scored two points after dropping 14 against UCLA. Gilmore has continued to be the glue guy for this Badger team.
Both teams ended up in foul trouble down the stretch in a very strangely officiated game. Both Nolan Winter and Max Klesmit had to sit for large stretches of the second half with four fouls each. It was also third straight game that Wisconsin received a technical foul, with Blackwell as the guilty party in this game.
Despite shooting poorly from deep, Wisconsin made all the necessary plays down the stretch to reach back-to-back Big Ten Championship games. Tonje showed he clearly deserves to win Big Ten Player of the Year. Carter Gilmore is an absolute legend, and comes up big in nearly every game. Greg Gard has completely changed this program for the better.
Overall, Wisconsin overcame a rocky start to earn a matchup in the Championship game with the winner of the Michigan/Maryland game.