MADISON, Wis. – University of Wisconsin senior guard Max Klesmit put his hands on his knees as the whistle blew, a reason known only to him. Forward Steven Crowl was stone-faced on the bench. Senior John Tonje bit his jersey as his halfcourt heave bounced off the back iron.
It was evident that the first taste of defeat of the season was
A pair of 7-footers stopped the 11th-ranked Badgers' undefeated start to the season, Michigan centers Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf looked unstoppable at times against Wisconsin’s defense in combining for 44 points in a 67-64 upset at the Kohl Center Tuesday.
Goldin finished with a career-high 24 points, scoring the game's final six points over the last 2:23 to give him 17 for the second half.
Tonje scored 18 points while John Blackwell added 16 points and nine rebounds, but the Badgers (8-1, 0-1 Big Ten) were held to a season-low scoring in losing their conference opener for the first time since 2017.
A second half that featured nine lead changes and six ties, Kamari McGee (8 points) delivered off the bench with multiple clutch shots. His off-balanced layup and ensuing free throw warranted a flex from the senior and gave the Badgers a 55-54 lead with 7:11 remaining.
After Wolf and Blackwell traded contested layups, McGee knocked down a three-pointer in front of UW’s bench with 4:14 remaining, putting the Badgers ahead 62-61.
The well went dry after that. UW’s final seven possessions included the Badgers going 1-for-6 from the floor, a turnover in the backcourt, and a missed free throw. After shooting better than 40 percent through the first seven games, UW has shot below that number in consecutive outings, finishing with a season-low 34.4 percent against the Wolverines.
Both teams had gone through nonconference play firing on offense, averaging over 85 points per game and shooting better than 46 percent from the floor and 35 percent from three. There was little chance of that happening.
Through the first 15 minutes of the first half, each team was shooting below 27 percent, although the Badgers made five of their final nine shots to take a 32-26 lead into the locker room.
What it means: Scoring won't come easy in the Big Ten, but Wisconsin still had open looks Where UW faltered was on defense, allowing Michigan to shoot 61.5 percent and average 1.2 points per possession after halftime.
Star of the game: Goldin scored 17 points in the second half, but Wolf frustrated the Badgers in multiple areas throughout the night. The junior finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists, five blocks, and three steals.
Stat of the game: Wisconsin entered the night 291st nationally in offensive rebounding (9.0 per game), but the Badgers had 16 Tuesday that created 12 second-chance points.
Reason to be Concerned: Max Klesmit with another tough shooting night. The senior is 3-for-13 from the floor, including 1-for-8 in the second half. He missed chances on the three possessions in the final 1:13 to put UW ahead or tie the game, woefully missing two of them. Crowl wasn’t much help either, battling foul trouble and finishing with two points on five shots in 21:43.
Don’t overlook: Blackwell had only four offensive rebounds entering conference play, but he secured two consecutive second-half possessions, both by boxing out guard Roddy Gayle Jr. and finished at the rim. When he hit a step-back jumper on the next trip, Blackwell’s 6-0 run gave UW a 47-44 lead.
What’s next: Wisconsin heads to Milwaukee for its in-state title with No.5 Marquette on Saturday. One of the few programs that didn’t lose or add a player from the transfer portal, the Golden Eagles (8-0) got a big boost in the offseason with Kam Jones’ decision to return for another season. He’s been terrific, leading Marquette in scoring (19.3 ppg) while shooting 65.3 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from three. Like Michigan, Marquette has a top-10 defensive efficiency rating.
Saturday will be the first time both teams have been ranked since 2011 and the first with both teams in the top 11. UW has won three straight meetings in the series. The tip is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. and will be televised on FOX.
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