College Basketball Powerhouse Hit With Bad Health News. Will Fans Panic?
PublishedFebruary 26, 2025 8:01 AM EST|UpdatedFebruary 26, 2025 8:01 AM EST
Wisconsin is dealing with a health issue, but should fans be nervous?
The 11th-ranked Badgers blew out Washington at home 88-62 Tuesday night to improve to 22-6 and third in the Big Ten.
Head coach Greg Gard has Wisconsin in position to possibly get a two-seed in the tournament, and his program is back to rolling after a humiliating loss to Oregon.
Greg Gard offers health update on Max Klesmit.However, fans held their breath when star guard Max Klesmit exited after just five minutes and never returned to the game.
Klesmit is the anchor of Wisconsin's backcourt. His ability to create his own shot requires the defense to space out and play the perimeter. Without him on the court, the Badgers - in theory - could struggle to dominate as they have all season.
It's a big cause for concern, but it sounds like fans can breathe easy.
Wisconsin guard Max Klesmit exited against Washington after a few minutes and never returned. (Photo by Lawrence Iles/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Gard revealed after the game that Klesmit didn't suffer a new injury, but exited against Washington due to an old lower leg issue seemingly being re-aggravated.
"Once he came out, it was bothering him, so we just decided that was going to be it. It’s been getting better, but tonight for some reason he couldn’t get it loose early in the game. Just decided not to go any farther with it," Gard told the press after the blowout win, according to The Associated Press.
His status for the monster matchup Sunday against 8th-ranked Michigan State remains unknown, but hopefully with four days of rest, Klesmit will be a full-go this upcoming weekend.
Wisconsin guard Max Klesmit is dealing with a health issue as Wisconsin wraps up the season. (Photo by Lawrence Iles/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
It certainly seems like there's no reason to panic, especially if Klesmit is back to 100% this Sunday. He entered the game Tuesday night averaging just over 10 points per game, but didn't score a single point before exiting.
However, his contributions go far past the stat sheet. He's a lethal part of the offense. An offense that is unlike Wisconsin fans have seen in a long time.
With March and the NCAA Tournament right around the corner, Wisconsin fans don't want to see any disruptions.
Will Wisconsin star Max Klesmit be at 100% for the Michigan State game? (Photo by Lawrence Iles/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
For now, there's no reason to panic, despite Klesmit's exit Tuesday night. However, we might be having a very different conversation if he's out against Michigan State. Let me know what you think of Greg Gard's squad at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.