Published Feb 4, 2025
Recap: No.21 Wisconsin Dominates Indiana in 76-64 Home Win
Benjamin Worgull  •  BadgerBlitz
Senior Writer
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@TheBadgerNation

MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin’s home dominance for Indiana can finally have its first legal drink.

No.21 Wisconsin raced out to a 26-4 lead eight minutes in and never looked back in a 76-64 thumping over the struggling Hoosiers at the Kohl Center Tuesday night.

Graduate senior John Tonje scored 15 points to lead the Badgers (18-5, 8-4 Big Ten), which is tied with UCLA for fourth place in the league after their 21st straight home victory over the Hoosiers (14-9, 5-7), which haven’t won in Madison since the Kohl Center’s inaugural season in 1998.

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Max Klesmit (13 points), Nolan Winter (12), and Carter Gilmore (10) also reached double figures on a night the Badgers shot 14-for-31 from two-point range and 12-for-29 from three.

Billed as “A White Out,” Wisconsin knocked the Hoosiers lights out before most fans could get comfortable. Starting with Steven Crowl’s three on the opening possession, Wisconsin hit six of its first seven shots and eight of 11, momentum punches that included six three-pointers.

When John Blackwell (8 points, 8 rebounds) knifed through the lane for an easy layup, the Badgers led 26-4.

A team that boasts its depth and efficiency, Wisconsin’s first half was a masterclass in balance. Winter was the highest scorer with eight, but Tonje had seven points and three rebounds, Klesmit had six points and four assists, and Gilmore had six points and three rebounds

Going 9-for-16 from three in the opening half, six players hit a perimeter shot within the first 8:30.

Mackenzie Mgbako had 13 points while Myles Rice added 10 to lead Indiana, which saw the Badgers shut down leading-scorer Oumar Ballo (three points) and third-leading scorer Malik Reneau (six).

The Hoosiers never got closer than 15 points in the final 16 minutes to lose for the sixth time in the last seven games.

What it means: Death. Taxes. Wisconsin beating Indiana at home. It's a streak that has come against seven different Hoosiers coaches during this 27-year streak.

Star of the game: Klesmit is on his best stretch of the Big Ten season, scoring double figures in consecutive Big Ten games for the first time this season. The graduate senior also added a season-high six assists and three steals within the first five minutes of the second half.

Stat of the game: Wisconsin’s frontcourt shutdown an Indiana frontcourt that starts three players averaging over 12 ppg, equaling the Hoosiers in rebounds (36) and holding them to 26 points in the paint.

Reason to be Concerned: Wisconsin’s offense came back to earth in the second half, only shooting 41.4 percent overall, including 3-for-13 from three and 9-for-13 from the line.

Don’t overlook: It took Gilmore 121 games to score in double figures. The graduate forward has now done it twice in four days.

What’s next: Wisconsin begins its fourth of five two-game road trips when it travels to Iowa City to face Iowa on Saturday afternoon. The Hawkeyes (13-9, 4-7) got a taste of what life is like post-Owen Freeman, Iowa’s leading scorer (16.7), rebounder (6.7), and shot blocker (1.8) having season-ending finger surgery. In their first game without him, the Hawkeyes lost by 18 at home to Purdue with Payton Sandfort and Josh Dix attempting 33 of their 58 shots.

With Freeman in the lineup, the Badgers hung a program Big Ten record 116 points on the Hawkeyes in Madison. It was UW’s fifth win in the last six meetings in the series. The tip is scheduled for noon and will be televised on NBC.

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