Kamari McGee’s 2.0 points and 8.6 minutes per game might not seem like much, but the spark the junior has given the University of Wisconsin since his return has been invaluable. On Friday, he showed it with a surprising vertical that stuffed Northwestern’s chances of a comeback.
McGee’s soaring block – the first of his UW career - was the defensive play of the game for the Badgers’ 70-61 quarterfinals victory over the Wildcats at the Target Center, setting up a third matchup with No.3 Purdue this afternoon in Minneapolis.
“I didn't know he could jump that high,” head coach Greg Gard said. “He even surprised me coming from there.”
UW (21-12) has fallen to the Boilermakers (29-3) twice this season, a 75-69 loss in Madison on February 4 that McGee missed with a foot injury and a 78-70 defeat last Sunday in West Lafayette, Ind.
“We just got to keep attacking (them),” McGee said of Purdue. “We just got to stay aggressive, and we got to be the dominators. We got to be the more physical team, the more hungry team. That’s what it takes no matter who we are playing.”
That trait was missing from Wisconsin during the 11 games McGee missed with a toe injury and what he injected back into the lineup when he returned March 7, scoring a UW career-high 11 points in 10 minutes off the bench against Rutgers.
He had four points, three rebounds, and an assist against Northwestern, but his defense was impactful, which carried greater importance with Chucky Hepburn missing his first collegiate game with a lower-body injury.
McGee played a season-high 23 minutes and joined freshman John Blackwell, and Max Klesmit in chasing around All-Big Ten guard Boo Buie. Their success was hit and miss but McGee didn’t miss sizing up 6-6 guard Brooke Barnhizer.
With Wisconsin holding a 63-56 lead with under five minutes to go, Barnhizer went up for a shot near the right block. He didn’t account for McGee coming over from the opposite side and leaping up to deflect the ball with the fingertips of his right hand.
The ball caromed off the glass and into the arms of Klesmit with 4 minutes 48 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, McGee found A.J. Storr for a basket and a 65-56 lead. The Badgers never led by less than five the rest of the way.
When McGee is active and playing, the Badgers are 17-5 compared to 4-7 when he isn’t.
“It's another example of somebody stepping up and really helping,” Gard said. “That play was huge.”
Friday’s win was the ultimate test in-depth for Wisconsin. According to Gard, Hepburn tried to get loose during warmups before being ruled out 30 minutes before tipoff. Blackwell made his first collegiate start but tweaked his ankle in the first half, while forward Tyler Wahl got his knee banged up in the second half and played just 12 minutes.
But for a team that has considered depth their ace up their sleeve, the Badgers slid Klesmit over to the point and have him score 10 points with seven assists, plus have McGee back running the second unit, allowing the offense to average 1.11 points per possession and shoot 56.5 percent in the second half.
“It's March,” Gard said. “If you don't have something that hurts, you haven't played hard enough. So, guys continue to fight through the things that are going on, and other guys continue to step up.”
“Max, he's a warrior,” he later added. “He's got a huge heart, and he's gutty, and he's a competitor. That showed.”
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