MADISON, Wis. - Leaning against the basket standard, 24 hours away from playing a Rutgers team that physically thrashed them a month earlier, junior guard Max Klesmit believed the urgency Wisconsin needed to play with would be on full display in the home finale.

It didn’t happen at the start, but the importance was there when it was needed.

Coming out flat to start both halves, Wisconsin found its extra gear when it needed it to defeat Rutgers, 78-66, Thursday on Senior Night at the Kohl Center.

A.J. Storr scored a game-high 19 points and Steven Crowl added a double-double (17 pts, 11 rbds) for Wisconsin (19-11, 11-9 Big Ten), but it was the play of reserve guards John Blackwell and Kamari McGee who made the difference.

Missing 11 games with a toe injury since January 19, McGee played 10 minutes and scored a UW career-high 11 points. After the Badgers went down 47-40, McGee scored nine of his points on a 19-2 run that built a 59-49 UW lead.

Blackwell scored a Big Ten career-high 17 points (9-for-10 FTs), grabbed eight rebounds, and unleashed relentless defense to help hold Rutgers to .943 points per possession. His points were his most since December 9 at Arizona.

Tyler Wahl – Wisconsin’s lone senior – finished with three points, six rebounds, and four steals in his final home game, as the Badgers shot 48.4 percent in the second half.

Sitting in a tie-way tie for third place in the Big Ten with Nebraska and Northwestern, Wisconsin would clinch a double bye with a victory over No.2 Purdue Sunday or could still earn one with a loss and some help.

Jeremiah Williams had 16 points to lead Rutgers (15-15, 7-12), which had won its last two games at the Kohl Center.

Wisconsin’s offense was sporadic, at best, but its maligned defense provided a necessary early spark. Trailing for most of the first half, Wisconsin’s execution of a 15-2 run gave them a 30-26 lead in the closing minutes of the half.

Eight of Wisconsin’s 10 forced turnovers were steals. Hepburn registered three of them, including picking off Jeremiah Williams’ pass from the foul line that he finished with a two-handed slam.

UW held Rutgers to .889 points per possession in the first half, allowing the Badgers to cling to a two-point lead after shooting 41.4 percent.

Rutgers began the second half with five straight makes and hit 7 of 9 to take a 47-40 lead, but the Scarlet Knight missed their next seven shots and couldn’t slow UW on the boards (13 offensive rebounds) and in the paint (outscored 34-24) when the Badgers made their run.

What it means: The one positive thing about Wisconsin’s NCAA Tournament profile was the Badgers had avoided any loss outside Quad 1 and Quad 2. They had to work to avoid a Quad 3 setback Thursday but avoided an ugly blemish.

Star of the game: It’s easy to quantify how much Wisconsin missed McGee after watching the junior’s 10 minutes in his return to the court after an 11-game absence. Pressed into more minutes after Klesmit left the game early in the second half with a leg injury, McGee was perfect with his five shots and delivered a spark defensively.

Stat of the game: Wisconsin’s 28 points off the bench were the most for the Badgers since they scored 36 against Nebraska on January 6.

Reason to be Concerned: Wisconsin left a lot of points at the free throw line, going 15-for-23 (65.2 percent).

Don’t overlook: Wisconsin had four offensive rebounds on one second-half possession, three coming from Crowl, who continued to follow his misses at the rim. Badgers finish the possession with two Crowl FTs and lead 55-49.

What’s next: Wisconsin ends the regular season by traveling to West Lafayette, Ind., to face No.2 Purdue (11:30 a.m./FOX). The first Big Ten team to win consecutive outright Big Ten titles in 17 years, Purdue (27-3, 16-3) has the most Quad-1 wins (11) and the most Quad 1 and 2 wins (17) in the country. As expected, the Boilers are incredibly deep with reigning national player of the year center Zach Edey (24.1 ppg, 11.7 rbg) and guards Braden Smith (13.1 ppg), Lance Jones (12.4), and Fletcher Loyer (10.5).

Wisconsin is 6-42 all-time at Mackey Arena but won on its last trip to the building in 2022 thanks to Johnny Davis’ 37 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and two steals.

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