On Saturday, Wisconsin ended Michigan State's Big Ten Tournament a little early, beating the No. 1 seed 77-74 in a tight semifinal matchup. The Badgers held on for the win, with some clutch defense in the final seconds to hold the three-point lead and keep the Spartans from tying things up.
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With seconds remaining, a pair of missed free throws from Badgers guard John Tonje put Michigan State in position to send the game into overtime with a three-pointer. But Tonje made up for his error, getting a clean touch on the ball just before Jeremy Fears Jr. went for the game-tying three-pointer.
After the buzzer, multiple Spartans looked to to officials, believing that a foul should have been called. But video confirmed that the Tonje's gutsy block was clean, and that the no-call was correct.
The Badgers hold on in a thrilling #B1GMBBT semifinal 😰 pic.twitter.com/U8zIoVERcA
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 15, 2025
Just seconds before, another huge block had saved the game for the Badgers. Carter Gilmore got a piece of an attempted three from Tre Holloman, sending the ball off-target.
Gilmore blocks it 🚫#B1GMBBT on CBS 📺 pic.twitter.com/NWfOgZy5V0
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 15, 2025
Things were tight between the two teams throughout the game, with Wisconsin holding a slim four-point lead heading into halftime. Towards the final minutes of the second half, Michigan State kept closing in on the Badgers' lead, before Wisconsin danced away again. The Spartans did their best to push to a win in the final seconds, but the Badgers' defense held strong.
Tonje had a huge game overall, finishing with game-high 32 points and chipping in seven rebounds. Spartans guard Jase Richardson led Michigan State with 21 points, with Fears and Holloman pitching in 14 and 10 points each, respectively.
Wisconsin, who was already comfortably in the field for March Madness, will now face the winner of Michigan-Maryland in the Big Ten tournament finals on Sunday. As for Michigan State, an early conference tournament exit is unlikely to have much impact on their participation in the NCAA tournament; at most, the Spartans may drop a seed as a result.
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