Kamari McGee celebrates with John Tonje against Indiana

Nolan Kromke

Men's Basketball February 06, 2025 Jake Ross

Starting Five: UW ready for round two against Iowa

Badgers travel to Iowa on Saturday

MADISON, Wis. — After making quick work of the Indiana Hoosiers at the Kohl Center, the No. 21 Wisconsin men’s basketball team will take the road again to face the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday. It’ll be the second matchup of the season for the two teams.

Tip on Saturday is set for 12:00 p.m. (CT) on NBC. Fans can also listen to the action on the Badger Sports Network.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW:

Nolan Winter hits the fadeaway against Indiana

Nolan Winter (31) scored 12 points against Indiana

1. LAST TIME OUT

UW earned a wire-to-wire victory over the Hoosiers, 76-64. The Badger’s victory was in-part thanks to a red-hot start. In the first seven minutes of the game, the Badgers connected on seven 3-pointers and outscored the Hoosiers 24-4. The lead never dipped below 12 points for the Badgers throughout the rest of the game.

Multiple Badgers put up noteworthy performances. John Tonje once again led the team in points with 15. Max Klesmit was everywhere on the floor, with 13 points, six assists and three steals. Nolan Winter scored 12 points while shooting 5-for-7 from the field. And one game removed from scoring his career-high, Carter Gilmore put up 10 points on 3-for-3 shooting from 3-point range.

The Badgers now own a 21-game home winning streak against the Hoosiers, dating back to 2000. The team held IU to just 64 points, one of the four lowest totals against Big Ten teams this season. Wisconsin forced 11 turnovers in the game, and capitalized with 18 points off the extra possessions - only turning over the ball six times themselves.

2. MIGHTY MAX

Heading into the Indiana game, Max Klesmit averaged 15.3 points against the Hoosiers in his career - his highest total against any Big Ten opponent. The Neenah-Wisconsin native didn’t disappoint with his performance on Tuesday, playing well on both ends of the floor.

Klesmit took on primary playmaking duties, scoring 13 points with six assists. Defensively, he collected three steals - leading a Badger defense that forced 11 opponent turnovers. Both Klesmit’s assist and steal totals are his highest against any Big Ten team this season. He’s the only Badger to dish out six assists while also putting up double-digit points.

Klesmit’s game against Indiana is indicative of his season performance. The senior is averaging a new career high in assists per game with 3.0 for the season. Impressively, his turnover rate has not increased despite the jump in assists. Klesmit’s 10.2 points per game are the most he’s averaged while with UW.

Kamari McGee hits another corner three against Indiana

Kamari McGee (4) hit three 3-pointers against Indiana

3. 3-POINT BARRAGE

After starting the game 7-for-8 on 3-point attempts in just the first seven minutes of play, Wisconsin finished the game 12-for-29 from deep. The Badgers continue to have one of their best 3-point shooting seasons in program history. This latest game marks the 13th time this season that the Badgers have connected on 10+ 3-pointers - the most in school history.

Wisconsin is now averaging 10.1 3-pointers made per game. Only two Big Ten teams have ever finished the season averaging double-digit 3-point makes, Wisconsin and Iowa are both sitting at that threshold this season. The team is not only making 3s, but making them at a high rate too. Four players for Wisconsin are shooting over 40% from 3-point range, the most in the Big Ten.

Wisconsin has put up two of its top 3-point shooting performances this season. The team broke the program record for 3-pointers earlier this season against Iowa with 21. They later matched their third best mark with 17 3-pointers against Nebraska.

John Blackwell (25) scored 32 points in Wisconsin's previous game against Iowa

4. ROUND TWO AGAINST THE HAWKS

The Hawkeyes are the first of three repeat opponents that Wisconsin will face this season. The Badgers took on Iowa in the beginning of January, where they put up one of the most memorable performances in program history. In front of the Kohl Center crowd, Wisconsin scored the second-most points in program history, beating the Hawkeyes, 116-85.

John Blackwell led the team with a career-high 32 points, while adding eight rebounds and five assists. The Badgers hit a Big Ten record 21 3-pointers in the game as well, with Wisconsin outscoring Iowa 62-42 in the second half. The team’s next matchup will take place at Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Since 2000, Wisconsin is 12-9 when taking on the Hawkeyes on the road.

Iowa has struggled since taking on Wisconsin, going 3-5 since January 7. The team now sits at a 13-9 record with a 4-7 mark in conference play. The team most recently battled No. 7 Purdue, losing 90-81. Iowa’s leading scorer for the season, Owen Freeman, missed that game and is out for the rest of the season due to injury.

Do your thing, 21 ?? pic.twitter.com/OP5sIQRB2N
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) February 3, 2025

5. STANDINGS UPDATE

WIth just one month remaining in the regular season, each conference game carries more weight. Wisconsin sports an 8-4 conference record, tied with UCLA for the fourth best mark in the Big Ten. The Badgers remain in contention for the regular season title, currently just two games behind Purdue in the top spot.

Each team above Wisconsin is currently ranked in the AP poll. No. 24 Michigan and No. 9 Michigan State have each collected a 9-2 conference record. No. 7 Purdue sits atop the list at 10-2. The Badgers are one of six Big Ten Teams ranked in the AP Poll - with No. 18 Maryland and No. 23 Illinois also featured.

The Badgers have a chance to control their own destiny with the remaining games in their schedule. They’ll face Purdue after their contest with Iowa, taking on the Boilermakers on February 15 in West Lafayette. Wisconsin is also slated to play Michigan State later in the year. The team takes on the Spartans in East Lansing on March 2.

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