INDIANAPOLIS — Fifth-seeded Wisconsin got some late defensive stops to take down top-seeded Michigan State 77-74 on Saturday to advance to the championship of the Big Ten Tournament.

Player of the Game: John Tonje

A day after putting together a masterful 26-point performance in a win over UCLA, Tonje was back at it on Saturday against Michigan State. The guard dropped a Wisconsin Big Ten Tournament record 32 points and did it in a variety of ways. He hit four 3-pointers, hit 12 shots from the free throw line and was 4-for-5 inside the arc. The only bad thing he did all day was miss two free throws with 6 seconds left, allowing Michigan State a chance to tie the game. But instead of sitting back and feeling sorry for himself, Tonje knocked the ball free from Jeremy Fears as he dribbled up the court, never allowing the Spartans guard to get a shot off.

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The good: Carter Gilmore

It’s been a rough few weeks from Gilmore on the offensive end. Coming into the game, he had missed his last 12 3-pointers over the last seven games. But he hit a pair of big ones on Saturday, including one to give the Badgers a 5-point lead with 4:49 left. However, he saved his biggest play for the end of the game, recovering late to get a finger tip on Tre Holloman’s potential game-tying 3-pointer. Gilmore played a season-high 30 minutes, finishing with 10 points, five rebounds and five assists.

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The not so good: The officiating

In what has become a theme of this Big Ten Tournament, the officiating crew was once again in the crosshairs of both fanbases. The Badgers got called for a technical foul for a third straight day — and for a second straight day it was a questionable one. Nolan Winter spent much of the game on the bench in foul trouble, as did Max Klesmit. A John Blackwell layup attempt was called a block when it was actually a goal tend. The two teams combined to be called for 41 fouls and shot 52 free throws. There was zero rhythm to the game, especially in the first half, as multiple reviews slowed what was a pretty entertaining back-and-forth.

Stat of the Game: 13

That’s how many points better Wisconsin was than Michigan State when Jack Janicki was on the floor. Now, plus-minus isn’t always a great indicator of what a player means, but in Janicki’s case it does. He was on the floor for 14 minutes and was very solid on the defensive end and kept the ball moving on offense even though he made just one of his three shots. The bench, including Kamari McGee, Gilmore, Xavier Amos and Janicki were huge once again for the Badgers.

In Case You Missed It

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— Gilmore told reporters afterwards that he went to the local YMCA before the UCLA game on Friday to work on his shot.

— The officiating led even the normally mild mannered Greg Gard to lose his mind during a timeout. It came after Amos appeared to get pushed out of bounds with the ball in his hands. It was a no-call, resulting in a turnover. Gard yelled at the officials and even reenacted what happened by lightly shoving Gilmore from behind.

— Wisconsin led by by four at the half but a quick 8-0 run from Michigan State put the Badgers back on their heels. Instead of calling timeout, Gard let his guys play. They paid off that belief by going on an 11-0 run themselves and they never trailed again.

— The Badgers have now beaten two of the seven teams that beat them during the regular season with wins over UCLA and Michigan State. McGee called it a revenge tour and it will continue on Sunday in the title game against Michigan. The Wolverines handed Wisconsin its first loss of the season back on Dec. 3 67-64.

— After losing to Penn State last Saturday, it appeared the chances the Badgers would end up in Milwaukee for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament would be minimal. But, after beating UCLA and Michigan State, most project Wisconsin as a No. 3 seed and playing at Fiserv Forum next Friday and Sunday.

What’s next?

Wisconsin will face Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament Championship on Sunday with tip coming at 2:30 p.m.