With the regular season coming to an end on Sunday, the Big Ten Tournament is set, and the Wisconsin Badgers earned the No. 5 seed for the third straight season.
Heading into the final weekend, Wisconsin sat as the No. 6 seed and had the opportunity to climb into the top four or potentially fall back a spot. However, they secured a top-five seed with their 97-93 upset of the Purdue Boilermakers on the road on Saturday. The win tied the season series, and Wisconsin leapfrogged the Boilers with a 14-6
conference record, versus a 13-7 record.
It all came down to Sunday, when Wisconsin needed an Illinois Fighting Illini loss to the Maryland Terrapins to jump into the top four. While the game between the two sides was a competitive one in College Park, Illinois ultimately prevailed 78-72, securing the triple bye.
As a result, Wisconsin will play on Thursday, with tip-off slated for 1:30 p.m. CT as the second game of the afternoon. They will face the winner of the No. 12 Washington Huskies and No. 13 USC Trojans, who play on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. CT.
The Badgers beat the Huskies on the road in a 90-73 blowout in late February, shooting exceptionally well from three after a fast start. They lost to USC at home 73-71 back in late January in a game that went down to the wire. At the time, USC was 14-5, including 3-5 in Big Ten play. While the Badgers shot 34 percent from the field and 24 percent from three in the loss, they also allowed 29 points to Chad Baker-Mazara, who is no longer with the Trojans.
USC finished its season on a seven-game losing streak, including a 91-72 loss on the road to Washington.
Should Wisconsin advance to the quarterfinals on Friday, they’d play against the Illinois Fighting Illini once again. That game is also scheduled to tip off at 1:30 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network. Wisconsin beat Illinois in February in a 92-90 overtime thriller on the road. That would be a fantastic matchup if the two sides meet again.
As the No. 5 seed, Wisconsin is on the same side of the bracket as the No. 1-seeded Michigan Wolverines, who have gone 29-2 this year with a 19-1 conference record. The Badgers are the only Big Ten team to beat Michigan, whose other loss was to the Duke Blue Devils on a neutral court.
This year’s tournament will be hosted at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, with the semifinal game being played on Saturday and the championship game being played on Sunday, right before the Selection Sunday show.
