John Blackwell, Wisconsin players react to crushing season-ending loss to BYU

Wisconsin’s 2024-25 season came to a heartbreaking end with a 91-89 loss to BYU on Saturday night.

The Badgers, despite playing far from their best game of the season, had the ball with 13 seconds left, trailing by just two points. Star wing John Tonje, who had a Wisconsin NCAA Tournament record 37 points on the night, had scored the Badgers’ last six points, including a contested three-pointer.

In the moment, he seemed destined to deliver yet another signature play and send the Badgers to the second weekend for the first time since 2017.

But for every March Madness buzzer-beater, there must be a last-second shot that misses. Unfortunately for Wisconsin, that became the reality as Tonje drove to the baseline and missed a contested jump shot. As the shot fell short, the game’s final seconds ran out.

The result is a disappointing end to the Badgers’ terrific 2024-25 season. Greg Gard’s group had limited expectations entering the year after losing stars Chucky Hepburn and A.J. Storr to the transfer portal. It then won 27 games, including over Purdue, Illinois, Arizona and Michigan State, and contended for the Big Ten title. That success can be attributed to Tonje’s emergence, improvement from sophomore guard John Blackwell, a deep roster of contributors and a revolutionized offensive approach.

Unfortunately, despite a successful run and apparent turning point for the program, the season’s final chapter is headlined by yet another March Madness first-weekend exit.

Some of Wisconsin’s players, both starters and reserves, took to social media after the loss to share their reactions:

John Blackwell:

Carter Gilmore:

Daniel Freitag:

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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin basketball BYU recap John Blackwell social media reaction