Wisconsin Basketball Rack up the Accolades at the Greenbrier Tip-Off Tournament

The Badgers left West Virginia with some hardware and a 7-0 record.

Author:
Christian Borman
Nov 25, 2024 4:00 PM EST

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The Wisconsin basketball team ended a successful trip out east with yet another in-season tournament title after winning the inaugural Greenbrier Tip-Off tournament.

They defeated undefeated UCF in the semifinals in convincing fashion, downing the Knights 86-70 in a wire-to-wire victory. John Blackwell's 17 points, five rebounds, and two assists. The Badgers shot an astounding 48.2% from the field and made 10 threes en route to an impressive 16-point victory.

In the championship game, the Badgers took on the Pitt Panthers, another undefeated team. Pitt was coming off a 74-63 victory over LSU in the semifinals.

The Badgers found themselves down early, by as many as 14 points, after a cold shooting half. The Badgers went 0-10 from three, which has been a big part of their success so far this season.

We've seen the Badgers work their way out of an early hole earlier this season when they were down big to Holy Cross in their first regular season game before clawing back and eventually dominating the second half.

After the break, the Badgers got to work early, cutting the Panthers' lead down to four just 2:30 into the second half. From there, it was relatively back-and-forth until the Badgers took the lead for the final seven minutes of the game. They were able to get to the line 14 times, making 13 of their attempts.

The Badgers also went 5-10 from three in the second half, propelling them past the Panthers, 81-75.

John Tonje, who has been arguably the best transfer player in the country up to this point, poured in 33 points, 25 of which he scored in the second half.

With the win, the Badgers secured the Greenbrier Tip-Off Championship and are headed home with a perfect 7-0 record.

After his performances, John Tonje was awarded MVP of the tournament. Both he and guard John Blackwell were named to the all-tournament team.

The Badgers will have a few days to rest and recover before hosting Chicago State on Saturday in their only game of the week.

It's still early, but this team, which was picked to finish near the bottom of the Big Ten, has been a pleasant surprise and is among the better teams in the country, let alone the Big Ten Conference.