Fresh off a 91-88 overtime win over the No. 4 Illinois Fighting Illini, the No. 5 seed Wisconsin Badgers are back in a familiar place, taking on the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals with a chance to get to the Championship Game.
Two years ago, Wisconsin was in the exact same place, coming off a win over the No. 4 seed Northwestern Wildcats, taking on the No. 1 seed Purdue Boilermakers. They won that game 76-75 in overtime in a thriller, sending them to the Championship Game, where they
eventually lost to Illinois.
Last year, Wisconsin was the No. 5 seed again, and they beat the No. 4 UCLA Bruins to advance to the semifinals, where they took on the No. 1 Michigan State Spartans. They won that one 77-74 as well, sending them to the Championship Game, where they eventually lost.
This year, the Badgers, as a No. 5 seed, have now beaten Illinois and are up against the No. 1 Michigan Wolverines, who have been one of the best teams in the country this season at 30-2, with a trip to the Championship Game on the line.
Wisconsin remains the only team to have beaten the Wolverines on the road this season, with the Duke Blue Devils being their other loss in a neutral-site game.
The Badgers are on a heater recently, winning their last five games, which include three Quad 1 wins and two Quad 1As wins over Purdue and Illinois.
Heading into the game, the Badgers are 12.5-point underdogs with the over/under at 161.5 points. Tip-off is set for 12:00 p.m. on CBS.
Can they find a way to get one more and add to a resume with some of the best wins in the country? Join us as our game thread is officially open!
