Wisconsin and Purdue are both locked in a battle for the Big Ten regular season title. But for the Badgers, Saturday’s win meant way more than just another W in the column—it kept their championship hopes alive and well. By taking down the two-time defending Big Ten champs, Wisconsin pulled within striking distance of No. 20 Michigan, No. 11 Michigan State, and Purdue Boilermakers, keeping them firmly in play for a double-bye in next month’s league tournament. But, it was a rollercoaster to get there.

Kamari McGee, Wisconsin backup guard, averaging 7.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists while shooting a solid 51.7% from the field, found himself at the center of controversy in the first half. 

With just over six minutes left before the break, Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn set a screen to free up guard Braden Smith. McGee, trying to fight through it, threw what looked like an intentional shot below the belt. That’s not legal.

The officials took one look at the replay and wasted no time upgrading it to a Flagrant 2, sending McGee to the locker room. He left with four points, a rebound, and an assist—not exactly the kind of stat line you want to exit with. 

The Mackey Arena crowd loved it. As McGee was escorted out, he blew kisses to the roaring fans. A little dramatic, but if you’re gonna go out, might as well make it memorable.

Losing McGee could’ve easily derailed Wisconsin’s game plan. Instead, it fired them up.

“I think the ejection actually threw more gas on our fire,” Badgers coach Greg Gard said. First, though, Kaufman-Renn made both free throws, and C.J. Cox knocked down a jumper to stretch Purdue’s lead to 31-22. The Boilermakers had a golden opportunity to pull away, but they didn’t. 

Instead, Wisconsin clawed its way back, cutting the deficit to just one at halftime (37-36). Then came the turning point. John Tonje dropping 22 of his 32 points in the second half, including a crucial four-point play that put Wisconsin ahead 51-50. 

Once they took the lead, they never looked back.

And it wasn’t just the usual suspects stepping up. Jack Janicki, who barely sees playing time, had a career-high 11 points. Nolan Winter matched his best scoring performance in a month with 12 points, and Carter Gilmore delivered solid minutes when it mattered most. 

And the final result was a 94-84 statement top 25 win over No. 7 Purdue!

While the Badgers got the last laugh, the internet had a field day with McGee’s ejection.

Refs ruining hoops? Fans erupt over McGee’s ejection in Purdue-Wisconsin top 25 showdown

Well, here we go again.“Completely rigged for Purdue per usual,” one fan wrote, echoing a sentiment that has been floating around for years. Across various forums and social media platforms, supporters from opposing teams have voiced concerns about officiating bias favoring Purdue—even before this game. 

Zach Edey, who has now turned pro, was constantly at the center of these discussions, with many feeling he got favorable calls way too often. Some, though, were focused on this particular play.

“Looks incidental,” another fan chimed in, believing that McGee’s move was just a natural part of the game, not something that deserved such harsh punishment. Then there were the fans who were willing to meet the refs halfway, but still thought they went overboard. 

“Maybe… maybe a F1. But quite the stretch to call that a F2.” And they might have a point. A Flagrant 1 involves unnecessary contact but lets the player stay in the game. A Flagrant 2 is an unnecessary and excessive contact, leading to an automatic ejection. The line between the two can be blurry, but in this case, many felt the refs were reaching with the Flagrant 2 call.

Even Purdue fans, who should be celebrating, weren’t thrilled. “Everyone knows that wasn’t a flagrant 2. Refs need to be better. Officiating has been such a huge focus this year, and it’s really disappointing how they continue to ruin games.” 

Fans have been fed up with officiating all season, and it’s getting to the point where they feel like refs are taking away from the game instead of just letting the players hoop. And then there’s the Dan Hurley effect. “Prime example why we respect Hurley getting on refs… they are awful.” 

Love him or hate him, Hurley is that coach. The one who goes to war with the officials every game. He’s gotten heat for it, picked up his fair share of technicals, but fans believe he does it for a reason. Games like this show probably exactly why.

But all in all, Wisconsin won. So, while the outrage over McGee’s ejection will linger, at least the Badgers walked away with the W. Let’s just hope Big Ten officiating doesn’t disappoint fans anymore, because this looked off and unfair, and it could have cost Wisconsin big.