Wisconsin

Wisconsin's Kamari McGee Becoming One of the Nation's Top Reserves

Published

12 months ago

January 21, 2025

Wisconsin's Kamari McGee Becoming One of the Nation's Top Reserves

LOS ANGELES – Max Klesmit couldn’t wait to add one more steal to his afternoon’s work

Standing courtside at the Galen Center following No.24 Wisconsin’s 84-69 victory over USC, not far from the basket where he hit a three-pointer that crippled the Trojans’ comeback hopes, senior Kamari McGee spoke passionately and honestly about the work he put in during the offseason, overhauling a mindset change that has made him one of the Badgers’ integral pieces.

McGee barely finished answering the question when Klesmit interjected, unprompted, slung his arm around McGee’s shoulder and preached.

“We came in together, transferred in together, and the growth that this dude has shown makes me happy,” Klesmit said. “He’s really grown as a leader for this team. It makes me really happy that this young man has become a grown man, it’s awesome. It’s what you dream of as a teammate and as a friend.”

Klesmit’s sentiment rings true throughout the program, as No.18 Wisconsin (15-3, 5-2 Big Ten) has seen McGee develop into one of the best reserves in the conference.

Entering tonight’s game against UCLA (12-6, 3-4) at Pawley Pavilion, McGee is doing everything for the Badgers. He has elevated his scoring from last season (2.1 to 7.3) and has the best assist-to-turnover ratio on the roster (3.27, 36 assists to 11 turnovers). More eye-popping is his shooting numbers.

The Badgers are 18 games into the season and McGee is still shooting at 54.0 percent from the field, including 56.4 percent from 3-point range (22-39). That latter number ranks third nationally. Those shots aren’t throwaway makes either.

After USC cut Wisconsin’s 15-point lead down to three in the second half, McGee delivered a fast-break layup. After Wesley Yates’s jumper tried to stall the momentum, McGee answered with a corner three-pointer, pushing the run to 13-5 and effectively ending the Trojans’ comeback changes.

“I feel like every time I shoot the ball it’s going on,” said McGee, who finished with 10 points against USC, improving UW’s record to 6-0 when he reaches double figures. “Even when it looks a little off, it still finds its way in there. I just keep trusting that. Honestly, I just hold my follow-through each game. That’s what I tell myself going into each game … It feels good every time it comes off my hand.”

It’s a mindset that wasn’t routinely present in past years. McGee believed his offseason workouts put him on par with every point guard in the country, but his mental work was off. He couldn’t put his finger on as to why, only that his eligibility clock was running out.

“I was putting all the work in as any other point guard in the league, in the conference, in college basketball,” McGee said. “It was just a mindset thing. The strong-minded guys make it far.”

“In all my workouts, at the end of each workout, I made sure I was shooting a lot of jump shots until my arms were hurting, until I made sure I built that confidence in me. These guys, my teammates, and my coaches, they keep instilling that confidence, and I feel like a good shooter because of the reps and all the stuff I’ve been getting done.”

Not only has the perimeter shooting been there, McGee is doing things he hasn’t done since he was a freshman at Green Bay, scoring off the dribble and shooting step-back jumpers. It’s always been in his arsenal, but the only difference is that he hasn’t felt the need to do it with Wisconsin since he’s surrounded by more scorers than he was three years ago.

The shooters are still there for the badgers, only now he knows he’s one of them.

“He’s continued to work on his game, work on his craft,” head coach Greg Gard said. “You never are too old to get better and he’s continued to get better as a senior. He’s taken really good shots, too. I think he understands the speed of the game, how he needs to play, all those things, and we’re the benefit of his upper trajectory.”

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Wisconsin

Here’s how you can buy one of the new Wisconsin license plates

Published

4 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Press Room

Here’s how you can buy one of the new Wisconsin license plates

If you want to get one of the two new Wisconsin license plates, you can order them now.

The new plates – the blackout design and the “butter” yellow design – are available on the Division of Motor Vehicles’ new online portal. They’re also stocked at most DMV regional offices and participating car dealerships.

You’ll pay a $15 fee up-front, plus $25 annually. Personalizing the characters is an extra $15 each year.

Along with the new plates, you can order any of the other 60 specialty designs through the portal.

Customers who apply online and don’t want a personalized message could get their new plates within a week.

If you want to personalize the plate, you can see a preview online and check if the message is already taken. DMV staff then review the personalization requests, and delivery can take several weeks.

You can also renew vehicle registration at the same time and pay online, rather than mailing in a check or money order.

The new plates were approved in the state budget this summer, kicking off several months of design work at the state Department of Transportation. State officials unveiled the designs in December.

State officials anticipate the plates will generate more than $25 million for road projects in the first three years.

The “blackout” plate is a simple black-and-white theme, similar to the popular Road America plate. Lawmakers have considered creating the plates in Wisconsin for nearly two years, citing success in other states.

The “butter” plate isn’t pale yellow or shaped like a stick of margarine, but rather a throwback to the standard plate design of the 1970s and ’80s. Unlike the blackout plate, it includes “America’s Dairyland” text on the bottom.

Non-personalized blackout plates will begin with the combination “ZAA-1001,” and yellow plates will start with “YAA-1001.” There are seven characters available for personalized combinations.

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Wisconsin

College hoops roundup: No. 9 Michigan rolls past Wisconsin

Published

17 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Press Room

College hoops roundup: No. 9 Michigan rolls past Wisconsin

Ann Arbor — Olivia Olson scored 21 points and No. 9 Michigan never trailed while rolling to an 86-60 victory over Wisconsin on Sunday.

Te’Yala Delfosse made her first career start and had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Mila Holloway also had 18 points for the Wolverines (14-2, 5-1 Big Ten).

Kendall Dudley contributed 11 points with eight rebounds and Brooke Quarles Daniels surpassed the 1,000-point mark for her career while scoring eight points. Quarles Daniels also had eight rebounds, six assists and five steals.

Destiny Howell led Wisconsin (11-6, 3-3) with 12 points. Breauna Ware added 11 points and Laci Steele chipped in 10. The Badgers committed 23 turnovers, which the Wolverines converted into 25 points. Michigan also scored 19 points off 21 offensive rebounds.

The Wolverines’ Syla Swords, their second-leading scorer at 13.9 points per game, sat out due to an injury sustained in a 105-65 win over Penn State on Thursday.

Flustered by Michigan’s pressing and trapping defenses, the Badgers missed their first eight shots and committed eight fouls and seven turnovers before scoring their first points – Shay Bollin’s 3-pointer with 1:39 left in the first quarter. By then, the Wolverines had built a 16-point lead.

Olson finished the half with 17 points, including a 3-pointer in the closing seconds to give the Wolverines a 46-21 halftime advantage. Their lead never dipped below 20 points in the second half.

Former Michigan star Diane Dietz (1979-82) had her No. 21 jersey raised to the Crisler Center rafters during a pregame ceremony. Dietz, who was the program’s first 2,000-point scorer, is currently the deputy commissioner of the Big Ten Conference.

Michigan State 85, at Oregon 81

Rashunda Jones scored 23 points, and Michigan State rallied from a double-digit deficit in the first half to beat Oregon for the Spartans’ eighth straight win.

Ines Sotelo scored four points and Jones made a pair of free throws in a 6-0 spurt that gave Michigan State the lead for good, 78-75, with 2:46 remaining. The Spartans trailed by as many as 16 points early in the second quarter.

Jones finished 9-of-12 shooting that included two 3s for Michigan State (16-1, 5-1 Big Ten). Grace VanSlooten added 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Kennedy Blair scored 11 points, and Emma Shumate and Jalyn Brown each had 10.

Katie Fiso scored 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting and had nine assists to lead Oregon (14-4, 2-3 Big Ten). Sofia Bell and Mia Jacobs added 18 points apiece for the Ducks. Ehis Etute chipped in with 11 points.

Sunday’s state men

(At) Detroit Mercy 94, Cleveland State 84: Tyler Spratt had 19 points in Detroit Mercy’s 94-84 victory against Cleveland State on Sunday.

Spratt shot 5 for 10 (4 for 8 from 3-point range) and 5 of 5 from the free-throw line for the Titans (7-9, 4-3 Horizon League). Orlando Lovejoy scored 18 points and added seven rebounds, nine assists, and eight steals. Lance Stone shot 3 of 7 from the field, including 1 for 3 from 3-point range, and went 4 for 4 from the line to finish with 11 points.

Jaidon Lipscomb finished with 30 points and four assists for the Vikings (5-13, 1-6). Cleveland State also got 19 points and six assists from Chevalier Emery. Dayan Nessah had 13 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

Wright State 94, at Oakland 84

Solomon Callaghan scored 27 points as Wright State beat Oakland 94-84 on Sunday.

Callaghan shot 8 of 11 from the field, including 6 for 9 from 3-point range, and went 5 for 5 from the line for the Raiders (11-7, 6-1 Horizon League). Kellen Pickett added 18 points while shooting 7 of 10 from the field and 4 for 4 from the line and also had 11 rebounds. TJ Burch went 7 of 16 from the field (2 for 3 from 3-point range) to finish with 18 points, while adding six assists. It was the sixth straight win for the Raiders.

Brody Robinson led the way for the Golden Grizzlies (9-9, 5-2) with 35 points and four steals. Oakland also got 15 points, six rebounds and two steals from Tuburu Niavalurua. Brett White II also recorded 11 points.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin starting offensive lineman transfers to Big Ten school

Published

1 day ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin starting offensive lineman transfers to Big Ten school

The Wisconsin Badgers will see a revamped offensive line in 2026, as several starters from the 2025 team are heading elsewhere. Left tackle Riley Mahlman is heading to the 2026 NFL Draft, as he’s out of eligibility, while Joe Brunner and Jake Renfro both entered the transfer portal.

Brunner was a recent addition, as he was also mulling entering the draft before returning to school. With one year of eligibility left, he’ll head elsewhere and is expected to be a hot commodity for some top programs.

Renfro, on the other hand, is heading to a seventh year of college football, thanks to a redshirt that wrapped up his third season at Wisconsin. Injuries have been an unfortunate theme of Renfro’s career. He missed the entire 2022 season at Cincinnati due to injury. Then, after transferring to Wisconsin ahead of the 2023 season, where he was projected to start at center, lower-body injuries cost the offensive lineman another season.

He started all 12 games for the Badgers in 2024 at center and looked to come back and have one more year of tape before heading to the pros. Unfortunately, Renfro got hurt during fall camp and never fully looked himself this season, constantly battling injuries before being ruled out for the season. He ended up playing just four games and entered the portal for his seventh year of college football.

Well, Renfro has a new destination: the Illinois Fighting Illini. Illinois is losing four starting offensive linemen this offseason, including center Josh Kreutz, and needs experience up front. Should he be healthy, Renfro could be a plug-and-play starter for the Fighting Illini in 2026.

There are a few connections for Renfro at Illinois, as his father, Rick, played offensive line there from 1982-84. Renfro is also an Illinois native and should be a leader in the room next year.

Wisconsin moved quickly to replace Renfro, landing Oklahoma State center Austin Kawecki in the transfer portal. He should start there in his final year of eligibility.

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