March 2, 2025 Game of the Day Recap
Wisconsin 62 – Michigan State 71
This game lived up to the well deserved hype. Without one of their better scorers, Max Klesmit, Wisconsin played hard for 40 minutes to keep the game close.
The first half was much different from that of Michigan State’s last game in Maryland, as there were almost as many points scored in the game with 6 minutes left in the half this game, than the entirety of the first half of the previous. It was back-and-forth between these two teams for almost the entirety of the game. With neither team scoring as efficiently as they have shown they can, the defensive battle, and the battle between Tonje and Richardson offensively, will be important.
Wisconsin struggled mightily from the 3-point line and this was a reason for them playing behind for most of the second half. The Badgers finished 5 for 32 from the arc. John Tonje went 1 for 8 himself. Tonje had 9 points in the first half, but was not playing his best as the second half started, with there only being about 7:20 left on the clock when he got on the board for the half. His absence to start the half was noted, as he needs to be more involved in games in the future. Especially with how important these games will be getting.
With Tonje not playing well, the Badgers needed someone to step up and they got just that. John Blackwell played great leading all Badgers in the scoring with Looking ahead, if the Badgers can keep Blackwell hot and get Tonje back comfortable and in the flow of the offense, they will be a sleeper for the tournament.
Jaden Akins led Michigan State in scoring with 19 and has a very smooth mid range shot. He did not shoot the most efficiently from the field but the Spartans, other than Tre Holloman, shot very good from the arc. Akins went 4 for 9 from 3, which is much better for his season average. The Spartans will need to keep shooting efficiently to keep winning games.
As mentioned yesterday, Coen Carr was bound to make an uber-athletic dunk at some point in the game to give his team that extra momentum. He made a great defensive play, ran well in transition (as he always does), and rose up getting above the rim with ease.
One of the lesser talked about players for the Spartans that will be important for their next stretch of games is Jaxon Kohler. He secured a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds and was all over the offensive boards, racking up 7 of them. His effort on the glass can go a long way for this team, and this game couldn’t have come at a better time.
Jase Richardson did not do as much scoring the ball against the Badgers, but made up for it with amazing passing. His ability to read the 2-man screen game does not remind you of a Freshman. Every game I seem to watch, he does something that impresses me. A GM in the NBA somewhere will be very happy to draft him.
The clip above looked like a lot of the points Michigan State scored in the last 4 minutes of gametime. It seemed like every time down the court, there was someone rolling to the rim who was wide open. Wisconsin is going to get killed in March if they cannot fix this.
John Blackwell: 19 points, 6 rebounds, 8-20 FG, 1-7 3P
John Tonje: 11 points, 6 rebounds, 3-13 FG, 1-8 3P
Jase Richardson: 11 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 4-9 FG, 3-6 3P
Jordan Akins: 19 points, 8 rebounds, 6-18 FG, 4-9 3P
Jaxon Kohler: 10 points, 16 rebounds, 4-10 FG
March 3, 2025 Game of the Day Preview
Lightning – Panthers
Today’s game takes us to the battle of Florida hockey when the Lightning go on the road to take on the Panthers. The season series is tied up 1-1 with 2 games remaining so this game is crucial in taking the season series. The Panthers are 3 points ahead of the Lightning for second place in the division at 77, and 1 point behind the first place Maple Leafs who have 78. Both teams are in the top 5 of the conference sitting at 3 and 4.
I am excited to watch another hockey game for the Game of the Day since last week’s game. This will be my first Lightning game to watch, and some of the names ahead of time I am ready to see include: Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel, and Andrei Vasilevskiy. I know Kucherov is a very good player from hearing his name around X, or on TV.
Kucherov leads Tampa Bay with 87 points on the season, 60 of those points coming off assists. The goal scoring is led by Brayden Point, with 31 on the year, and Brandon Hagel who has 30 himself. However, this could easily be a goalie duel, so I will be staying away from points props from anyone tonight.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, who has a 2.18 GAA on the season along with 29 wins, and Sergei Bobrovsky, with a 2.59 GAA and 25 wins, will be the matchup of the night. Vasilevskiy is coming off a win against the number 1 team in the East, the Capitals, where he allowed just 1 goal. Bobrovsky is coming off a great game against the Flames, where he had a shutout.
I am also excited to see Anton Lundell and his third line back out there to play some hard hockey. This line was one of the more interesting parts of the last game I watched, so seeing them do it again would be awesome. Matthew Tkachuk will not be playing yet again, as he has been placed on the IR with a groin injury.