Wisconsin basketball returned to the win column emphatically on Thursday, defeating Northwestern 70-63 in the second round of the 2025 Big Ten Tournament.
The Badgers had limped to the finish line to close the regular season. They dropped three of their final five games, including an inexplicable closing loss at home to Penn State. While the absence of starter Max Klesmit played a major role, significant questions surrounded the team entering postseason play.
Thursday’s win did not answer every question. The team is still working to return to the top offensive form that saw it defeat Purdue and Illinois as part of a critical five-game win streak in February. However, the performance was a critical step in the right direction. Klesmit returned to the lineup for the first time in three weeks and finished with nine important points on 3-of-5 shooting. His play complimented that of star wing John Tonje, who led the way once again with 18 points and seven rebounds on 7-of-14 from the field.
Wisconsin likely needs a few more victories to contend for a No. 2 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. However, Thursday’s win brought it ever closer to clinching a first-weekend pod site in nearby Milwaukee.
As the Badgers advance into their Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal game against UCLA on Friday, here are some of the notable reactions from the strong win over Northwestern:
Jon Rothstein reacts
Greg Gard. Silent Assassin.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 13, 2025
Big Cat thinks the Badgers are getting their mojo back
Good win Badgers. Get a little mojo back
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) March 13, 2025
Max Klesmit made a huge impact
Max being Max. Whether straying off bench coming to defense of fallen teammate Carter Gilmore…Max being Max. Whether hitting stepback jumper in Nick Martinelli’s face and barking at crowd…Max being Max. Whether he was just being himself. A leader. Badgers missed Max Klesmit.
— Mike Lucas (@LucasAtLarge) March 13, 2025
This is the #Badgers team I like watching. Swagger for days! Not backing down to anyone. It’s the Max Klesmit effect. He brings so much to the team. Winter’s March Madness is going to be a showcase to the rest of the basketball world. He’s a pro. We’ll be watching him in the NBA.
— Michael Herfel⚓️💙🤍 (@MichaelHerfel7) March 13, 2025
The gauge turns to the green
John Tonje set the tone
On Steven Crowl’s questionable technical foul
Getting a tech for yelling “gimme that sh**!” is exactly the energy we need from Crowl 😂
— Jared Berggren (@jberggren40) March 13, 2025
More reaction
#OnWisconsin gets the win. didn’t shoot well from 3, and shot around 75% from the line….but limited turnovers (14-10) and limited fouls. I’ll take the W for #Badgers but they need to shoot better to keep up with the top the top teams. play UCLA tomorrow at 2:30pm #NCAAB
— Dan Vachalek (@Dyhard) March 13, 2025
I’ll take that win.
Nice little correction from last game. Definitely room for improvement, but good chance to get some revenge tomorrow in the pursuit of said improvement.#Badgers
— Matt 🦡 (@MShadows17) March 13, 2025
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin basketball Northwestern game reaction
