Wisconsin Outlasted Michigan State in a Battle of Star Guards
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Wisconsin guard John Tonje scored an impressive game-high 32 points as he led the Badgers to victory over Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals on Saturday.
"You've got to give Tonje a lot of credit; I mean, he had an unbelievable game," said Spartans coach Tom Izzo after the game.
Meanwhile, Spartans guard Jase Richardson turned in another stellar outing, scoring a team-high 21 points. Richardson continues to be the Spartans' most reliable scorer, rising to the occasion no matter the moment.
The freshman set the tone for the Spartans, outscoring the Badgers 8-to-7 in the first few minutes, giving Michigan State an early advantage. But Richardson and Spartans forward Jaxon Kohler were sent to the bench due to foul trouble, which let the Badgers back into the game.
"I think I've just got to be smarter about when I'm aggressive on the ball," Richardson said postgame. "I came in the second half with those two fouls, and I picked up two early ones and had three, so I had to sit for a little bit. I just know I've got to come in and play smarter with that."
Tonje has been on fire during the Big Ten Tournament, scoring 30 points in back-to-back games. The Badgers guard is shooting 50 percent from long range in two games and made four shots from deep against the Spartans despite their elite perimeter defense.
"I thought we did a pretty good job on him [Tonje] most of the way, and he cut loose a little bit, and that's what great players do," Izzo said.
In their regular season meeting, Tonje struggled against the Spartans but was able to avenge that performance and kick Michigan State out of contention for the conference tournament championship.
"At our place, he missed some shots, he had some open looks, some good looks, but here, he made some tough shots, he had some stepbacks and some shots with our hands in his face," said Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr.
After torching UCLA for 26 points on Friday, Bruins coach Mick Cronin revealed that he even voted for Tonje for Big Ten Player of the Year.
"He's a great player, All-Big Ten for a reason, and props to him tonight, he played great," Fears said.
Despite having a lights-out shooting performance, Tonje had an opportunity to ice the game for the Badgers, up 3 points, with two chances at the line. However, the 91 percent free-throw shooter missed both opportunities, opening the door for the Spartans with 6 seconds left.
In the final seconds, Fears' 3-point attempt to tie the game came up short, securing the 77-74 win for Wisconsin.
The Spartans will eagerly wait to see who they are going to face off against in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The March Madness selection show will air on CBS on Sunday, following the conclusion of the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game.
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