MINNEAPOLIS – One win for one tooth? Sounds like a fair trade to Jack Janicki.
No 12 Wisconsin used clutch play during the final 8 minutes to score a 74-67 victory over Minnesota Wednesday night in front of a sellout crowd of 14,625 at Williams Arena.
The win allowed the Badgers (23-7, 13-6) to remain in a three-way tie for third in the Big Ten with Maryland and Purdue in the chase for a top-four seed in the conference tournament next week.
The night also allowed Jack Janicki, the Badgers 6-foot-5 redshirt freshman guard, to show the country how to shake off a chipped tooth when you fall face-first to floor as Janicki did during the final minute of the win.
Did it hurt? Yes. Did he mind? He didn’t seem to.
“I was lucky enough to land straight on my front tooth,” he deadpanned after another standout effort off the bench. “That is where the brunt of the force was transferred to and hence the lost tooth. It could have been worse.
“It sucks that it happened with 30 seconds left in the game. I feel like I could have got out of here with all my teeth intact, but it was a fun game. it was a hard-fought game. That type of stuff happens.”
The Badgers defeated Minnesota for the ninth straight time, but it didn’t go as smoothly as their 21-point victory over the Gophers in January. In that game UW broke open a tight affair with a dominant second half. This time the team pushed a six-point halftime lead to 11 early in the second half before Minnesota came all the way back and led on a couple of occasions.
The final 8 minutes, however, belonged to Wisconsin. According to sophomore John Blackwell, the team was ready for the moment this time.
“I think it our preparation. These last couple of games it’s been those segments that we have won or lost. The Oregon game. The Michigan State game. The last 6 to 5 minutes, it’s about execution and I think we executed down the stretch, got stops when we needed to get stops and just finished the game off right.”
UW scored on 10 of 13 possessions during a near-8 minute stretch that started with 8 minutes 6 seconds to play and ended with 36 seconds left. The Badgers went from trailing by two to leading, 70-61.
Blackwell posted his second straight double-double, finishing with 25 points and 11 rebounds in 37 minutes. Graduate guard John Tonje fought through foul trouble to add 18 points and seven rebounds. The team also got 10 points, three rebounds and three assists for graduate center Steven Crowl.
The victory means that the race for a top-four seed and a double bye for the Big Ten tournament won’t be settled until after this weekend’s games.
“Our guys understood what we were in for here tonight and especially on their senior night that they were going to have to play really well,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said. “Fight and scrap. It wasn’t always pretty and it wasn’t always smooth.
“The one thing about this group is they’ve developed a toughness to them and a callousness to them and when things aren’t clicking completely they’ll find other ways to win.”
Here are three takeaways from the win.
Badger reserves show plenty of game
The contest marked the second straight game senior guard Max Klesmit (lower leg) did not play. Senior Kamari McGee started in his place, while Janicki and fifth-year senior Carter Gilmore ate up some of Klesmit’s minutes.
All three players delivered, particularly in the second half. McGee finished with five assists and zero turnovers. Four of those assists came in the second half. Janicki posted each of his six points and three assists during the final 20 minutes. Gilmore (eight points) also did all his scoring after halftime.
Here are two plays of note from Janicki and Gilmore.
- On back-to-back possessions Gilmore’s work on the offensive glass led to free throw opportunities. He buried all four attempts to give UW a 59-56 lead with 5:37 to play.
- With 4:47 to play Janicki buried a turnaround jumper just before the end of the shot clock to give the Badgers a 61-56 lead.
UW beats Gophers to the backdoor
One of the Badgers’ failings at Michigan State was the handful of lobs Spartan big men were able to get behind defenders and dunk.
Wednesday Wisconsin players were able to make Minnesota pay for taking an eye off them by making hard cuts to the basket and finishing for dunks or layups. Blackwell was the beneficiary of two of those plays, one from McGee and another Janicki. Blackwell also set up Crowl nicely for a dunk off a pick and roll.
Two of those buckets helped Wisconsin build its 11-point lead early in the second and the other helped the Badgers put the Gophers away.
“That’s just guys playing,” Gard said. “That’s not a called play. That’s not a set. That’s just playing basketball within our system. The spacing is good. They understand if you over play or get pressure, back cut, put pressure on the rim and it’s up to the ball handler to find him.”
Getting to the free throw line pays off for Wisconsin
Blackwell’s second career double-double was a grind. He was 8 for 21 overall and 2 for 9 from three-point range. However, when his shot wasn’t falling he relied on his ability to get to the basket.
He drew eight fouls, two more than his previous season high. Overall Wisconsin hit 21 of 24 attempts its highest single-game total in about two months.
“When you’re on the road, you’re not going to get every call, but you try to get to the free throw line as much as you can,” Blackwell said. “Teams, when they’re at home, they’re going to try to go on runs. The crowd is going to get into it. To calm all that down, you get to the free throw line and slow the game down and get what you want.”
Max Klesmit out again with leg injury
For the second straight game, the Wisconsin men’s basketball team will play without Max Klesmit.
The Badgers senior guard is listed as ‘out’ on the Big Ten availability report for the team’s game at Minnesota tonight. Tip off is 7:30 p.m.
The Neenah native has been hampered the past three games. He played the first 5 minutes of the win over Washington last Tuesday before sitting out the remainder of that contest. After that game Badgers coach Greg Gard said Klesmit was bothered by tightness in his lower leg.
Klesmit watched UW’s loss at Michigan State Sunday from the bench. He wore a walking boot on his right leg.
Senior guard Kamari McGee is expected to replace Klesmit in the starting lineup.
Wisconsin has much to gain from matchup with Minnesota
It’s the final week of the college basketball regular season and Wisconsin can either cap the campaign with a couple of solid wins, or miss out on a golden opportunity.
No. 12 Wisconsin (22-7, 12-6 Big Ten) plays Minnesota (15-14, 7-11) at 7:30 pm. Wednesday at Williams Arena. It’s a Border Battle with much on the line for the Badgers.
- A top-four seed for the Big Ten tournament and the double bye that comes with it. UW enters the day tied for fourth.
- The Badgers are jockeying for NCAA tournament seeding and, based on projections, are on track to open the tournament at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
- Bragging rights matter, too. Wisconsin has five Minnesota natives on its roster. The state, the Twin Cities in particular, has served as key recruit territory for UW.
“Quite frankly, it’s your next game and you’re competitive and you want to win,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said. “The other stuff that could happen from that are really a byproduct of doing good things Wednesday night.”
Here is what you need to know about the game.
How can I watch or listen to the Wisconsin-Minnesota basketball game?
The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network. Cory Provus (play-by-play) and Robbie Hummel (analysis) will handle the call.
The matchup can be heard on 97.3-FM in Milwaukee and on 1310-AM and 101.5-FM in Madison. Matt Lepay (play-by-play) and Brian Butch will call the game. The contest can also be heard on the Varsity app or on Sirius XM channels 196 (Wisconsin) or 372 (Minnesota).
Wisconsin Badgers probable starters
25 – John Blackwell, 6-4, G, 15.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.2 apg
4 – Kamari McGee, 6-0, G, 6.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.0 apg
9 – John Tonje, 6-5, G, 19.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.8 apg
22 – Steven Crowl, 7-0, C, 9.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.5 apg
31 – Nolan Winter, 7-0, F, 9.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.0 apg
Minnesota Gophers probable starters
3 – Dawson Garcia, 6-11, F, 19.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.0 apg
2 – Mike Mitchell Jr., 6-2, G, 9.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.3 apg
11 – Femi Odukale, 6-6, G, 6.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.6 apg
23 – Parker Fox, 6-8, F, 6.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.0 apg
25 – Lu’Cye Patterson, 6-2, G, 11.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.3 apg
Wisconsin-Minnesota prediction
Despite the loss Sunday, the Badgers proved that their defense does travel. The Spartans shot 39.4%, marking just the fifth time they were held below 40% this season and only the second time it happened at home. Look for Wisconsin to bounce back from that loss, but don’t expect the 21-point win the Badgers enjoyed Jan. 10. Remember that meeting was only a one-point game at the half before the Badgers erupted in the second half.
