Wisconsin basketball returned to the win column on Tuesday night with a decisive 88-62 triumph over the Washington Huskies.

Wisconsin starting guard Max Klesmit exited with what the team called a lower leg injury early in the Badgers 88-62 win over Washington.

Wisconsin moves to 22-6 (12-5 Big Ten) with the triumph. It rises into third place in the conference standings as a result, just 1 1/2 game back of first-place Michigan and Michigan State. The Badgers play the Spartans on Sunday afternoon in what is likely to be a season-defining game for both teams.

Wisconsin will literally beat up the Huskies in the halfcourt, exploiting UW’s weakness versus screen-heavy attacks. The Badgers throw a lot of bodies in the way, thriving off screens and pick-and-roll schemes, while creating isolation mismatches in the process. All that contact on the offensive end will have the Huskies packing up by halftime.

Entering Tuesday’s action, it had been over a month since Wisconsin sophomore guard John Blackwell scored over 20 points in a game.

Wisconsin basketball had its five-game win streak snapped with a 77-73 overtime loss to Oregon on Saturday. Social media reacted harshly:

Wisconsin Badgers and Washington Huskies basketball reaction show! Big game from John Blackwell!

Wisconsin basketball cruised to an 88-62 victory over the Washington Huskies on Tuesday night at the Kohl Center.