Social media reacts to Wisconsin's frustrating Big Ten Tournament title loss to Michigan
The Wisconsin Badgers fell to the Michigan Wolverines 59-53 in the Big Ten Tournament final on Sunday afternoon.
The game was a momentum-crusher for the Badgers. After a string of tournament wins over Northwestern, UCLA and Michigan State, Wisconsin looked like a team playing in its fourth game in as many days. It began ice-cold shooting the basketball, making just 4-of-24 shots from deep in the first half, compared to a 4-of-13 rate from inside the three-point line. Luckily for Greg Gard's team, Michigan wasn't any better. Wisconsin led 23-21 at halftime -- a score that could be confused for an early-September Big Ten football game.
Wisconsin then continued its offensive struggles in the second half. It finished the game having shot just 21.7% from the floor and 17.5% from deep (7-of-40). It lost control of the neck-and-neck contest over the final minute, as Michigan stars Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin made just enough plays to push the Wolverines in front.
Wisconsin's shooting numbers explain the loss. Some of the performance can be attributed to tired legs in a fourth consecutive game, plus some to Michigan's strong defensive game plan. The rest, however, should be attributed to a season-worst offensive output from star wing John Tonje, who scored just nine points on 1-of-14 from the floor, and uncharacteristically-poor three-point shooting from nearly the entire roster.
As the Badgers prepare to learn their NCAA Tournament seed and draw, here are some of the notable reactions to their Big Ten Tournament loss to Michigan:
First, there were complaints about the endless reviews
Happy Review Sunday
— ᗩᑎT ᗯᖇIGᕼT (@itsAntWright) March 16, 2025
https://t.co/ollJDK7R7Ppic.twitter.com/G8TN2IhVGL
— Zach Heilprin (@ZachHeilprin) March 16, 2025
I’d like some basketball mixed in with my official reviews @bigten
— Todd Fuhrman (@ToddFuhrman) March 16, 2025
— Carter Elliott (@CarterElliott__) March 16, 2025
Wisconsin really struggled to score
I know defense wins championships, but hard to win when you can’t throw the ball in the ocean.
— Badgermaniac (@THEbadgermaniac) March 16, 2025
Big Cat reacts:
This game sucked. On to the brackets. Hard to win 4 games in 4 days. And we smoked out all the casuals that think this game was how the Badgers played all season
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) March 16, 2025
Michigan's close-game success is hard to believe
will drive to Illinois just to bet against this one possession luck merchant Michigan team next weekend
— Grant Bilse (@WiscoGrant) March 16, 2025
Wisconsin also failed to shut the door
3 straight stops…failed to secure ball after each. Can’t give a team 4 possessions in final minute.
— Badgermaniac (@THEbadgermaniac) March 16, 2025
Wisconsin's bench reacts:
The two sides of March. pic.twitter.com/PjdeiXO2N6
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 16, 2025
Steven Crowl, Nolan Winter and Carter Gilmore played well
both played excellent today https://t.co/QJWSnMDcTN
— Grant Bilse (@WiscoGrant) March 16, 2025
A Michigan perspective
Possibly, the greatest turnaround in college basketball history. #DustyMayForever#GoBluehttps://t.co/uI23GbMVST
— Dan Plocher (@DanPlocher) March 16, 2025
It was an ugly game
Not even an officials video review (and there were about one hundred of them, mostly in Michigan's favor) could make this game any less ugly than it was from very beginning. Painfully ugly for the Badgers who stumbled on way to finish line because they couldn't shoot straight.
— Mike Lucas (@LucasAtLarge) March 16, 2025
Wisconsin missed everything
Just couldn’t finish around the rim or make anything from beyond the arc. Clearly fatigued after four games in four days, but such a missed opportunity to win a Big Ten title. pic.twitter.com/REHH3vVTYX
— Connor Whelan (@its_connor_w) March 16, 2025
Is Michigan what its record says it is?
college basketball is so great because the 5th or 6th best team in the conference can win the conference tournament
— Grant Bilse (@WiscoGrant) March 16, 2025
this is March
Wisconsin's shooting performance was historically bad
Wisconsin shot just 22.1% -- the worst since the infamous 2011 Big Ten Tournament game against Penn State (9.5%) that ended 36-33.
— Zach Heilprin (@ZachHeilprin) March 16, 2025
Some are unhappy with Wisconsin's shot selection
What an embarrassing last 10 minutes for the Badgers. Everybody forgot how to play basketball. What awful shots and decisions. I get it, you're tired. That doesn't mean you completely lose any semblance of a basketball IQ.
— Taylor Valentine (@TaylorValen9) March 16, 2025
I understand shooting 3’s vs this Michigan team.
— The Red Shed (@TheRealRedShed) March 16, 2025
I don’t understand shooting threes with 20 seconds on the shot clock up 10 in the second half.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Reaction to Wisconsin basketball Michigan Big Ten tournament game
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