Wisconsin Basketball: Badgers Edge Terps in a Must-Win Game

It feels like the Wisconsin basketball team we saw just a few weeks ago that surged as high as No. 6 in the nation was a lifetime ago. Since being ranked so highly, the Badgers have dropped five of their last six games, including an overtime loss to Iowa on Saturday.

Tonight presented the Badgers with a must-win game against the Maryland Terrapins at the Kohl Center. The Terrapins, who are struggling themselves this year, had just a 6-9 conference record entering tonight’s game. They also came to town with one of the best defenses in the country.

It wasn’t pretty, but the Badgers edged Maryland, giving them their 18th win of the season and 10-6 in the Big Ten.

Free Throws are the Difference for the Wisconsin Basketball Team

After a tough outing at the free throw line in Iowa, going just 19-28 (67.9%), the Badgers responded tonight. In a game that got close at the end and whistles came easily, the Wisconsin basketball team returned to form going 28-31 (90.3%) from the line.

Being able to hit those free throws, particularly late kept the pressure on the Terps. They went 17-19 in the second half.

Klesmit led the way, making all eight of his free throws, but in all, six Wisconsin basketball players got to the line tonight, and no one missed more than one.

Starters Do Most of the Damage, but Blackwell Shines off the Bench

Feb 20, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell (25) is fouled by Maryland Terrapins forward Jordan Geronimo (22) as he passes the ball during the second half at the Kohl Center. Mandatory Credit: Kayla Wolf-USA TODAY Sports

Greg Gard didn’t go very deep into his bench tonight. A total of nine players saw the court tonight, but the five starters were on the floor for most of the night. Four of the five starters logged more than 33 minutes of playing time. AJ Storr had 28 minutes, which is still almost double that of John Blackwell, who had the most off the bench.

Markus Ilver, Connor Essegian, and Nolan Winter all got less than seven minutes tonight.

The starters also scored 63 of the 74 points tonight. Blackwell (nine points) and Essegian (two points) were the lone bench players to score tonight.

Despite what the stats say, the Wisconsin basketball head coach praised what Blackwell provided off the bench for the Badgers.

Despite Blackwell's +/- tonight being -9, Gard says he was more like +9 for what he did for the team off the bench tonight.

— Christian Borman (@christianborman) February 21, 2024

The freshman guard continues to play at a high level for the Badgers. Tyler Wahl and Steven Crowl both praised Blackwell’s attitude and effort coming off the bench for the team. When he was in the game, he often drew the difficult task of guarding Jahmir Young, Maryland’s dynamic guard and top scorer.

Badgers Look to Finish Strong with Four Games Left

Now, the Badgers have a week before their next game. But that doesn’t mean they are about to take the week off.

They have four games left: at Indiana, vs. Illinois, vs. Rutgers, and then wrap the season up at Purdue.

Not exactly the easiest four-game stretch. But pulling two or three wins out of the four should set them up to earn a first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament in March. Currently, the Badgers are in third, behind Purdue and Illinois, and just a half-game ahead of Northwestern in the conference standings.

After the rough stretch, they have gone through the past few weeks, getting some momentum before postseason play is going to be important if they are going to make a run in the NCAA Tournament.

Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. For more Wisconsin Badgers Athletics and Big Ten content, follow us on Twitter & Facebook. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You can also follow Christian Borman on Twitter @christianborman. 

Also, be sure to check out our shop, subscribe to our newsletter, and the BadgerNotes After Dark podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. Because of your support, we have become one of the fastest-growing independent media outlets focused on giving a voice to the fans!