Tag: max klesmit

Hepburn selected for NIT All-Tournament team

Badger point guard Chucky Hepburn was selected as a member of the NIT’s All-Tournament team following North Texas’ 68-61 title win over UAB.

Badger point guard Chucky Hepburn was selected as a member of the NIT’s All-Tournament team following North Texas’ 68-61 championship win over UAB.

Hepburn produced 15 points (all in first half), four assists, two steals and a rebound over 37 minutes in Wisconsin’s 56-54 loss to North Texas on Tuesday. Certainly part of the reason why he earned the tournament honors was the fact that he nailed five three-pointers in the first half, helping the Badgers out to a 41-29 lead at the break.

Moving forward, although Greg Gard and his team fell short, players like Hepburn, Steven Crowl and Max Klesmit all had huge performances in the team’s NIT run, all of whom will presumably be back next season.

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PHOTOS: Wisconsin beats No. 1 seed Oregon 61-58 in NIT quarterfinal

Photos from Wisconsin basketball’s victory over the Oregon Ducks in the quarterfinal of the NIT:

The Wisconsin Badgers extended their longest winning streak since the start of the new year in a 61-58 victory against the host Oregon Ducks on Tuesday night. This win sent the Badgers to the NIT semifinals, in which they will face North Texas.

Wisconsin guard Max Klesmit led the team in scoring with 18 points, while center Steven Crowl nearly finished with a double-double with 9 points and 10 rebounds. Although it wasn’t the prettiest victory for the Badgers, they were able to play well as a team to close out the game.

The Badgers will move on to the NIT semifinal next Tuesday, which will be played in Las Vegas against the North Texas Mean Green.

Below are photos from Wisconsin basketball’s victory over the Oregon Ducks in the quarterfinal of the NIT:

Watch: Badgers celebrate after win over Oregon

The Wisconsin men’s basketball team defeated the Oregon Ducks 61-58 in the third round of the NIT and move on to face North Texas in Vegas.

The Wisconsin men’s basketball team defeated the Oregon Ducks, 61-58, in the third round of the NIT on Tuesday. The team advances to face North Texas in the semifinals in Las Vegas in one week.

After a roller-coaster ride of a regular season, Greg Gard and his Badgers have found a groove in the postseason, advancing deep in the NIT.

To this point, Steven Crowl (36 points versus Bradley), Chucky Hepburn (27 points versus Liberty) and Max Klesmit (18 points versus Oregon) have led the team in points in the three tournament contests.

If anyone was wondering if the Badgers cared about the NIT, this locker room video after the game answers that question. They seem determined to win the whole thing and bring home some hardware on March 30.

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Vegas Bound! Wisconsin advances to NIT semifinals

The Badgers took down the Oregon Ducks, 61-58 in Tuesday’s NIT quarterfinals matchup and they’re now heading to the semifinals in Las Vegas.

The Badgers took down the Oregon Ducks, 61-58 in Tuesday’s NIT quarterfinals matchup in Eugene. As a result, Wisconsin will take on North Texas in the semifinals in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Greg Gard and his squad survived another close contest Tuesday, winning their second game in a row by four or less points. In a season that has been filled with close losses, they have had a change of fortune in the postseason.

It was Max Klesmit’s turn to take command in the Badgers’ third round contest, leading the team with 18 points (5-11 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 6-7 FT). A different player has now led the team in scoring in all three postseason games.

The only other player to reach double-digits for Wisconsin was Chucky Hepburn (12 points), who nailed a clutch three-pointer from the right wing with less than 58 seconds left in the contest, giving the Badgers a 59-57 lead. Klesmit later added two free throws and Wisconsin pulled out the W.

Keeshawn Barthlemy (15 points) and Quincy Guerrier (14 points) tried their best for the home team, but their contributions weren’t enough to get the Ducks over the hump.

Moving forward, Wisconsin has a legit shot at running the table in Vegas, which would be so impactful for the team’s growth heading into next season.

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Still alive, Badgers beat Liberty 75-71 in Round 2 of NIT

Wisconsin took on the Liberty Flames in Round 2 of the NIT on Sunday, defeating the Flames 75-71 in a back-and-forth matchup.

Wisconsin took on the Liberty Flames in Round 2 of the NIT on Sunday, defeating the Flames 75-71 in a back-and-forth matchup. The Badgers will now move on to the final eight teams in the tournament.

Steven Crowl and Chucky Hepburn led the way for the Badgers in the first half, producing 14 and 19 points respectively. Their 33 combined points were just one short of the Flames 34 points in the half. As a result, Wisconsin went into break up 37-34.

Although Crowl cooled down in the second half, failing to score a bucket, Hepburn remained very active at the offensive end. The sophomore point guard notched eight points in the back half, finishing at a team-high 27 points.

For Liberty, Darius McGhee came into the contest average 22.6 points per game, producing a game-high 31 points while also adding six rebounds and four assists. Additionally, Kyle Rode notched 16 points while making four three-pointers for the Flames.

Down the stretch, Max Klesmit stepped up big for the Badgers, nailing their only three-pointer with 2:09 remaining in the game, his first bucket of the contest. The long-range make gave Wisconsin a 68-67 lead and he later added another bucket and two free throws in crunch time.

In the end, Wisconsin once again protected their home court, using the atmosphere at the Kohl Center to propel them to a win with 10,436 fans in attendance.

Greg Gard and his squad will now take on either 1-seed Oregon or UCF in Round 3 of the NIT in a couple days.

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Crowl goes off, Badgers defeat Bradley 81-62

The Wisconsin Badgers’ men’s basketball team defeated Bradley 81-62 in their Round 1 matchup of the NIT on Tuesday.

The Wisconsin Badgers’ men’s basketball team defeated Bradley 81-62 in their Round 1 matchup of the National Invitation Tournament on Tuesday.

Fueled by a career night for Steven Crowl, Wisconsin easily took care of business at the Kohl Center. The seven-footer scored a career-high 36 points while also reeling in nine rebounds versus the Braves.

Crowl was an uber-efficient 12-for-16 from the field while nailing five three-pointers on seven attempts, also a career high from deep. Coming off of an eight-point performance against Ohio State in the Badgers’ disappointing Round 1 loss at the Big Ten Tournament, the big man went off Tuesday.

Teammates Max Klesmit (16 points) and Connor Essegian (14 points) also joined Crowl in double-digits and the three of them alone outscored Bradley 66-62 in the game.

For the Braves, Rienk Mast did his best to keep them in the game, scoring a team-high 14 points while snagging a game-high 12 rebounds, but his efforts weren’t enough.

Greg Gard and the Badgers will now move on the to second round of the NIT on Sunday, taking on three-seed Liberty at the Kohl Center (time TBD).

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Too much to handle, Badgers fall to Ohio State 65-57 on Wednesday

Wisconsin faced Ohio State in Round 1 of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday, falling to the Buckeyes 65-57, dropping their playoff chances.

Wisconsin took on Ohio State in Round 1 of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday, falling to the Buckeyes 65-57. The loss is a massive blow to the team’s National Tournament hopes and they’ll have to pray their resume from earlier this season can get them in the dance.

Ohio State was red-hot in the first half, making 68.4 percent of their shots from the field and going 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. On the opposite side, Wisconsin shot just over 30 percent and failed to make a three-pointer (0-for-7). As these numbers would suggest, the Buckeyes carried a 36-18 lead into halftime.

Although Tyler Wahl was able to score 17 of his 19 overall points in the second half, Wisconsin was never within one possession down the stretch. The senior forward gave it all in what could be his final game in a Badger uniform, but the first half by Ohio State was too much to overcome.

In the game, Chucky Hepburn (six points), Max Klesmit (two points), Steven Crowl (eight points) and Connor Essegian (11 points) struggled with their shot, going a combined 9-for-34 from the field (26.4%).

For the Buckeyes, Bruce Thornton (15 points), Justice Sueing (16 points) and Sean McNeil (17 points) led the way, combing to shoot 17-for-28 in the contest (60.7%).

Now staring at a second consecutive season without a win in the Big Ten Tournament, this year, the Badgers don’t have the luxury of having won the regular season conference title, nor do they have a top-tier player like Johnny Davis.

Waiting for their potential postseason destination just became a longer shot for Wisconsin and it this point their distant win over Marquette in December may not be enough to get them over the hump and into March Madness.

Overall, the 17-14 Wisconsin Badgers have left much to be desired on the court this season and Greg Gard and his squad look likely to miss the NCAA Tournament for the second time in five seasons.

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PHOTOS: Wisconsin basketball loses back-and-forth game to Purdue 63-61

Photos from Wisconsin basketball’s heartbreaking 63-61 loss to the Purdue Boilermakers on Thursday night: 

Despite their best effort, the Wisconsin Badgers were unable to pull off the upset against the No. 5-ranked Purdue Boilermakers and fell in a heartbreaking 63-61 loss at the Kohl Center.

Wisconsin played extremely well throughout this game, spurred by a phenomenal second half from guard Max Klesmit. He finished with a game-high 19 points and three steals that kept the Badgers neck and neck with the Boilermakers. It was unfortunately not enough to hold off one of the top teams in the country, and Purdue was able to close out the game in the final minute.

The Badgers head on the road to play their final regular season matchup on Sunday night against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Below are photos from Wisconsin basketball’s heartbreaking 63-61 loss to the Purdue Boilermakers on Thursday night:

Close but no cigar, Badgers fall to Boilermakers 63-61 on Thursday

Wisconsin took on fifth-ranked Purdue at home Thursday night, losing a nail biter 63-61 versus their Big Ten foe.

Wisconsin took on fifth-ranked Purdue at home Thursday night, losing a nail biter 63-61 versus their Big Ten foe. The loss certainly complicates things for the Badgers’ NCAA Tournament hopes.

Coming into Thursday, Wisconsin was firmly on the tournament bubble and a win would have done wonders for their playoff chances. They did not get the victory and now their path into March Madness has gotten even more murky.

Star big man Zach Edey showed out in Purdue’s road win, compiling 17 points while using his 7-foot-4 frame to corale 19 rebounds. Freshman guard Fletcher Loyer (13 points) was the only other Boilermaker to produce in double-digits.

For the Badgers, they were able to get a more well-rounded effort offensively with Max Klesmit leading the game with 19 points (7-11 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT). Chucky Hepburn (13 points) also reached double-digits while Connor Essegian and Isaac Lindsey (all in first half) each added eight points.

The game came down to the wire with Ethan Morton going 1-for-2 at the charity stripe with 3.4 seconds on the clock, giving Purdue a 63-61 lead. Strapped with the challenge of not having a timeout left, Wisconsin was forced to inbound it and pray for a miracle, which they did not receive.

Max Klesmit launched up a deep three at the buzzer, leaving his shot well short of the rim and the Badgers short of a victory.

Moving forward, Greg Gard and his team will now head to Minneapolis to take on the Gophers on Sunday in what is truly a must-win game for Wisconsin.

Sitting at 16-13 overall and 8-11 in conference matchups, the Badgers are ranked 11th in the Big Ten and would currently take on Minnesota in the first round of the conference tournament next Thursday (March 8).

On the other side, Purdue captured their first Big Ten regular season title since 2019, coincidentally the last time Wisconsin missed the NCAA Tournament. The Boilermakers will close out their regular season Sunday at home against Illinois (20-10).

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WATCH: Max Klesmit gave it his all against Michigan

WATCH: Max Klesmit gave it his all against Michigan

Although Wisconsin didn’t come away with a win on Sunday in Ann Arbor, Max Klesmit did all he could on both ends.

The Wofford transfer had his best game as a Badger, pouring in a season-high 19 points on 7-12 from the field while knocking down five three-pointers.

His defense was arguably more impressive, as he hounded Michigan’s backcourt and was ready to double the bigs if needed.

The Wisconsin native is averaging 7.9 points per game and 2.6 rebounds per contest this season.

It was certainly his best game in a Wisconsin uniform. Check out highlights from Klesmit’s big day in Ann Arbor: