Wisconsin basketball beats Purdue at Mackey, keeps Big Ten title hopes alive
Wisconsin basketball stunned No. 7 Purdue at Mackey Arena with a 94-84 win, keeping its Big Ten title hopes alive behind John Tonje’s 32 points.
The University of Wisconsin men's basketball team doesn’t control their path to a Big Ten regular-season title right now, but everything is still on the table after Saturday's performance against Purdue.
No. 16 Wisconsin (20-5, 10-4) marched into Mackey Arena and beat No. 7 Purdue, sending a message in their 94-84 victory—the most points the Badgers have ever scored against a top-10 road opponent.
"Super impressed with my own team," Greg Gard told reporters. "How they withstood. The first half was a little rocky, and [Kamari] McGee had to hit the showers early, guys had to step up, and the guys united even more.
"Couldn't be happier for our guys. I have great respect for Purdue and for Matt [Painter]. Think our programs are very similar. They always do things the right way. They're always battles. To be able to play like we did, it's a credit to our players and assistant coaches to have them ready."
Heading into the season, Wisconsin was picked to finish 12th by the media in an expanded 18-team Big Ten. Fast forward to mid-February, and the Badgers have made it clear—they’re firmly in the conference title race with just six games left to play.
John Tonje puts on a show
If you’re going to win at Mackey, you need a star to rise to the occasion. For Wisconsin, that player was John Tonje.
The graduate transfer put on an offensive clinic, pouring in 32 points on 10-for-15 shooting, knocking down four three-pointers, and going 8-for-9 from the charity stripe. At one point, Tonje had a run in which he scored 13 points in a stretch of 3 minutes and 43 seconds.
It was the kind of takeover performance reminiscent of Johnny Davis' 37-point explosion in the Badgers’ last win against Purdue at Mackey back in 2022.
"If you're going to have a really good team, you're going to have one of those guys that can do that [carry an offense]," Gard explained. "If you're going to be at an elite level, you have a guy who can carry the water. Doesn't have to be every night, but when they get going, they're really good."
Tonje’s afternoon was even more impressive, considering how poorly it started. But Gard didn’t overreact and pull him—Tonje settled down on his own and regrouped like the 6-foot-5 guard has shown time and time again he's capable of. Calm, cool, and collected is the only way you can describe Tonje this season.
What followed was a masterclass in resilience. Tonje buried a three point shot attempt from the corner and proceeded to dominate. He scored 13 points in the first 11 possessions of the second half, attacking Purdue’s defense at seemingly every level. When his four-point play put the Badgers up 58-50 with 13:34 to go, Wisconsin seized momentum and never looked back.
Purdue guard Braden Smith came into the game as the frontrunner for Big Ten Player of the Year, and that might still hold true—but Tonje made sure his name is in the conversation, too. Regardless, Tonje has proven to be one of, if not the best, portal pickups across college basketball.
Kamari McGee's ejection fuels Wisconsin’s fire
The Badgers had plenty of excuses to crumble. They were already without senior point guard Kamari McGee—one of their vocal and emotional leaders on and off the court—after a controversial flagrant-2 ejection in the first half.
Trying to fight through a screen, McGee caught Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn in the groin and was sent to the locker room after a video review. It could’ve rattled the Badgers. Instead, it galvanized them.
Two free throws later, Wisconsin found itself in a 29-22 hole with 6:20 left before halftime—down a key reserve and seemingly stripped of momentum. But rather than letting the moment get away from them, they responded in a way that has defined Gard’s team all season.
As Gard put it, McGee’s ejection “threw a little bit more gas on our fire.”
Wisconsin ripped off a 10-2 run to close the half, clawing back to within a point at the break and proving once again that the Badgers bench depth is no joke.
Then, in the second half, the Badgers completely dismantled Purdue’s defense. Wisconsin got into the paint at will and shot a ridiculous 72.0% (18-for-25) from the field, poured in 56 points, and left Mackey Arena with a win that put the rest of the Big Ten on notice.
In total, the Badgers reserves chipped in 19 points on an efficient 7-for-11 shooting, grabbed five rebounds, added four assists, and committed zero turnovers.
After the game, the social media account posted a picture of the team captioned, “We got your back, Kam. For life.”
Jack Janicki seized his opportunity
With McGee out and John Blackwell in foul trouble, Wisconsin turned to Jack Janicki—a redshirt freshman who had never played in Mackey Arena before.
The moment wasn’t too big for him.
Janicki scored a career-high 11 points, knocking down three of four three-point attempts, including a massive corner triple that pushed Wisconsin’s lead to 71-60.
He also dished out two assists, blocked a shot, and, most impressively, played extended minutes at point guard without committing a turnover—no easy task for even the most experienced players.
"Boy, as a freshman, first time ever here to come in and do that. On the court, I thought he responded in a way and had production and impacted the game in what we've seen him do in practice," Gard said postgame. "It just hasn't come out because he hasn't been in that situation.
“When Kam had to leave, he played point a lot and handled pressure."
Janicki, a Minnesota native, has now made a habit of stepping up in big games. He scored nine points against No. 9 Arizona and now has a career-high 11 against No. 7 Purdue to hang his hat on.
Greg Gard’s Big Ten Coach of the Year case
With this win, the Wisconsin men’s basketball program reached 20 victories for the seventh time under Gard and secured its 10th Big Ten Conference win for the 21st time in the last 24 seasons.
So, where’s the Big Ten Coach of the Year discourse?
Picked 12th in the Big Ten preseason poll, Wisconsin has spent the entire season proving people wrong. They’re now ranked No. 9 on KenPom—after entering the 2024-25 season at No. 45, are now projected as a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and have the sixth-most efficient offense in the country—building last season's success despite losing AJ Storr and Chucky Hepburn to the transfer portal during the offseason.
Not to mention, the defense has begun to make significant strides as it currently sits at No. 44 in adjusted defensive efficiency.
“They're just extremely confident,” Gard said. “They know, collectively, they are a really good team. And obviously, we've got major star power, too, with some guys, but just how they rallied together.
"I probably talked less in these huddles than I have all year because they were so engaged and so instrumental and instructive with what they wanted to do on both ends of the floor…. This group has committed to each other and committed to being the best team that they can be."
Wisconsin has been one of the best stories in college basketball this season, and this win at Mackey was the latest reminder.
This Badgers team is for real—and Gard deserves plenty of credit. Considering the resources at his disposal to assemble this roster, their success only reinforces just how impressive this season has been.
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