The Wisconsin Badgers began their Los Angeles trip with a big 84-69 win over the USC Trojans. It is now their seventh win in a row, and they have climbed all the way up to 5-2 in the Big Ten conference. This win was impressive on so many levels, but what stood out the most was how USC decided to take on Wisconsin and what the Badgers chose to do about it.
USC really said - let’s take away Tonje so we can win.
— Badger of Honor (@BadgerOfHonorFS) January 18, 2025
Badgers were like fine:
Blackwell - 28
Klesmit - 18
Winter - 13
John Tonje had a quiet afternoon but his team still exploded for the decisive win.
The USC Trojans clearly had a plan to stop John Tonje, who is the Badger's leading scorer. It was an effort to tip the scales in their favor and secure a win. However, it didn't work, not even a little. While they were able to stop Tonje who scored 0 points for the first time all season, it did nothing to silence the Badgers offensive attack. Other players stepped up: John Blackwell scored 28, Max Klesmit had 18, Nolan Winter was able to get 13, and Kamari McGee even made noise with 10 points. Head coach Greg Gard even noticed this in his post-game comments.
"“We score 84 points, and John [Tonje] doesn’t score. There’s been so many nights he’s carried us. He’s helped us. I think that’s what makes this team really, really good is we have a lot of pieces and a lot of weapons.""Greg Gard
USC's strategy of silencing the leading scorer only exposed how dangerous the Wisconsin Badgers can truly be. They can hit shots at every level and score from about any position with any player. The depth of this team is amazing, and the ability to highlight different players on any given night is a huge strength.
Wisconsin will look to sweep the L.A. schools on Tuesday when the Badgers take on the UCLA Bruins in Pauley Pavilion at 8:30 pm CT.