WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — During a tense moment in the first half of Saturday’s game against Purdue, Wisconsin’s backup guard Kamari McGee found himself ejected from the match. However, rather than letting this setback discourage them, the 16th-ranked Badgers turned it into motivation.
Wisconsin maintained its composure throughout the game and went on to secure a 94-84 victory over No. 7 Purdue, marking the Boilermakers’ second home loss of the season. Coach Greg Gard remarked on the incident, stating, “I think the ejection actually threw more gas on our fire. I probably talked less in these huddles than I have all year because they were so engaged, so locked in with what we wanted to do.”
This win was pivotal for Wisconsin (20-5, 10-4 Big Ten) as they continue their pursuit of a regular-season conference championship. After defeating the two-time defending Big Ten champions, they find themselves just 1.5 games behind No. 20 Michigan and one game shy of No. 11 Michigan State. Additionally, they are now a half-game behind Purdue and well-positioned for a double-bye in the upcoming conference tournament.
The game took a turn when the referees reviewed a play involving McGee and Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn, which ended with McGee’s hand hitting Kaufman-Renn in a sensitive area. The officials deemed it a Flagrant 2 foul, leading to McGee’s ejection. As he left the game, the excitement in Mackey Arena escalated, yet the Badgers refused to let his absence deter them from their goal.
“When they explained what happened with McGee, I knew it was the letter of the law; there was no point in arguing,” Gard commented. “We needed to move on and keep playing.”
Following McGee’s ejection, Kaufman-Renn was awarded two free throws, which he converted successfully, and C.J. Cox added a jumper, extending Purdue’s lead to 31-22 just 44 seconds later. Despite this, Purdue failed to capitalize on the advantage, and Wisconsin showed remarkable resilience, refusing to falter in front of a national audience.
Purdue’s Kaufman-Renn reflected on the situation, saying, “You’ve got to be able to expand your lead at that point, and we just didn’t.” He went on to score a career-high 30 points on 12 of 16 shooting.
Wisconsin rallied to trim the halftime deficit to just one point at 37-36. John Tonje had a spectacular second half, scoring 22 of his overall 32 points, including a crucial 4-point play that propelled his team to a 51-50 lead—a lead they maintained for the remainder of the game. The contributions from less recognized players were also vital; Jack Janicki scored a career-high 11 points, Nolan Winter matched his recent best with 12 points, and Carter Gilmore provided key minutes off the bench.
Coach Gard expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance following the adversity faced without McGee. “I think it made our other guys unite even more. They’re extremely confident and know, collectively, that they are a really good team,” he stated.
