Tonje scores 32 as No. 18 Wisconsin tops No. 7 Michigan St. 77-74 in Big Ten semis
INDIANAPOLIS — John Tonje scored 32 points and grabbed seven rebounds to help No. 18 Wisconsin beat No. 7 Michigan State 77-74 on Saturday in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament.
John Blackwell added 14 points as the Badgers (26-8) won for the third time in four days. They will play No. 11 Maryland or No. 22 Michigan for the tournament title on Sunday.
Jase Richardson had 21 points and seven rebounds for the Spartans (27-6). Jeremy Fears Jr. had 14 points and six assists, but he had the ball knocked away in the waning seconds as he tried to tie the score with a heave from near the midcourt logo.
Michigan State, the league’s regular-season champs, had won eight in a row.
Wisconsin erased a 45-41 deficit with an 11-0 run in the second half. The Badgers were pushed to the very end, but they used four straight points to make it 72-67 with 1:10 to play.
Takeaways
Wisconsin: The Badgers followed an 86-point game with 19 3-pointers by showing they could win a grind-it-out game, too. Tonje could make Wisconsin a sneaky Final Four pick.
Michigan State: The Spartans were rolling until Saturday. Could this loss cost the Spartans a No. 2 seed for the NCAA tourney? Maybe. But getting an extra day off might help more.
Key moment
After Tonje missed a 3-pointer with 34 seconds left, Blackwell tried to chase down the rebound, but his path was impeded by Jaden Akins, who was called for the foul. Blackwell made both free throws to give the Badgers a 74-70 lead with 31.4 seconds to go.
Key stat
The Badgers made three more free throws than Michigan State, 22-19.
Up next
Wisconsin will try to win its first Big Ten tourney title since 2015 and claim the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid. The Spartans will find out their tourney fate Sunday.
-
Michigan State falls in Big Ten Tournament semis, 77-74, to Wisconsin
Wisconsin has ended Michigan State basketball's Big Ten Tournament run in the semifinal in a hard fought 77-74 gameYahoo Sports - 6h -
RECAP: John Tonje leads Wisconsin to thrilling Big Ten Tournament win over Michigan State
Wisconsin basketball defeated the Michigan State Spartans 77-74 in a Big Ten Tournament thriller on Saturday afternoon in Indianapolis, Indiana.Yahoo Sports - 5h -
Wisconsin ends Michigan State's Big Ten tournament run off clean no-call block by John Tonje in final seconds
The Spartans were looking for the foul, but Tonje's well-timed strip helped the Badgers secure a 77-74 win.Yahoo Sports - 6h -
Tonje spurs record-tying 3-point flurry as No. 18 Wisconsin beats UCLA 86-70 in Big Ten Tournament
John Tonje matched his career high with six 3-pointers on his way to 26 points, and No. 18 Wisconsin tied the Big Ten Tournament single-game record by making 19 3s in an 86-70 victory over ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Nolan Winter and John Tonje lead No. 18 Wisconsin over Northwestern 70-63
Nolan Winter and John Tonje each scored 18 points to lead No. 18 Wisconsin to a 70-63 victory over Northwestern in the second round of the Big Ten TournamentABC News - 2d -
Takeaways from Wisconsin's thrilling Big Ten Tournament win over Michigan State
Wisconsin basketball advanced to the Big Ten Tournament final with a heart-stopping 77-74 win over Michigan State on Saturday.Yahoo Sports - 5h -
Michigan State basketball's Big Ten tournament run ends with 77-74 loss to Wisconsin
Michigan State basketball's Big Ten tournament came to an end Saturday with a loss to Wisconsin. Next up, the real March Madness.Yahoo Sports - 6h -
Nolan Winter and John Tonje lead No. 18 Wisconsin over Northwestern 70-63
Nolan Winter and John Tonje each scored 18 points to lead No. 18 Wisconsin to a 70-63 victory over Northwestern in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday. The Badgers (24-8), ...Yahoo Sports - 2d -
Was Michigan State basketball vs Wisconsin no-call at the buzzer correct? You decide
Wisconsin's John Tonje reached in and swiped at ball as Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. attempted to shoot tying 3-pointer in Big Ten tournament.Yahoo Sports - 5h
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Cade Cunningham ejected in bizarre tech-fest from refs in Detroit Pistons game vs. Thunder
Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham was ejected early in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at LCA.Yahoo Sports - 14m -
Chadwick basketball caps greatest stretch in school history by repeating as Class 1 champs
The greatest stretch, led by the greatest players, in Chadwick basketball history won its second straight Class 1 state championship.Yahoo Sports - 16m -
Temitope Adeshina, Tamiah Washington fuel Texas Tech women's track & field at NCAA meet
Texas Tech track and field teams finish eighth on men's side, 10th on women's at NCAA championships. Temitope Adeshina won her first individual titleYahoo Sports - 16m -
Vikings acquire RB Jordan Mason and swap picks in trade with 49ers
The 49ers send Vikings breakout running back Jordan Mason in trade that includes a pick swap and Minnesota sending an extra pick.Yahoo Sports - 20m -
Rintaro Sasaki, aka Japan's home run king, absolutely crushed his first college home run
Rainmaker: Rintaro Sasaki's completely crushes his first college home run at Stanford.Yahoo Sports - 20m
More in Sports
-
Men's Bracketology: The Mountain West will see four teams -- for now
Colorado State beat Boise State for the Mountain West title, and automatic bid. This is good news for Indiana.ESPN - 9m -
Cade Cunningham ejected in bizarre tech-fest from refs in Detroit Pistons game vs. Thunder
Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham was ejected early in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at LCA.Yahoo Sports - 14m -
Chadwick basketball caps greatest stretch in school history by repeating as Class 1 champs
The greatest stretch, led by the greatest players, in Chadwick basketball history won its second straight Class 1 state championship.Yahoo Sports - 16m -
Temitope Adeshina, Tamiah Washington fuel Texas Tech women's track & field at NCAA meet
Texas Tech track and field teams finish eighth on men's side, 10th on women's at NCAA championships. Temitope Adeshina won her first individual titleYahoo Sports - 16m -
NCAA: Duke says Flagg to be available for tourney
Duke star Cooper Flagg, who suffered an ankle injury during the ACC tournament, will be available for the NCAA tournament, according to Dan Gavitt, NCAA senior vice president of men's basketball.ESPN - 18m