If there’s one sure thing about the Big Ten Conference Tournament, it’s that there are no sure things.
The conference has made a reputation out of cannibalizing itself in inter-league play and the Big Ten Tournament has become an annual spectacle worth watching — whether your favorite team is in it or not.
Look no further than last season, when No. 13 seeded Ohio State University won three straight games and made it to the semifinals. Additionally, No. 10 seeded Penn State University upset the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds on their way to the Big Ten Championship game, where they lost to Purdue University.
All it takes for a magical weekend is to get hot at the right moment — making recent trends all the more important.
The University of Wisconsin — despite going 2-6 in the month of February — have shown signs of their early-season body of work to start March. They picked up a double-digit win over Rutgers University at home and took a pair of competitive losses against No. 13 University of Illinois and No. 3 Purdue.
During that stretch, the Badgers got backup point guard Kamari McGee back from an 11-game absence due to injury and freshman phenomenon John Blackwell looks to be fully past a leg injury that kept him out of a pair of games in mid-February.
While it remains to be seen which iteration of the Badgers will show up in Minneapolis, they stand to benefit from the geographical location of the tournament — being the second closest university to the Target Center behind the University of Minnesota. Considering UW’s proximity, it wouldn’t be a surprise for the neutral site to tilt slightly in the favor of the cardinal and white, with Badger faithful filling the stands.
After earning the No. 5 seed and a single bye, UW’s first game will come Thursday at approximately 1:30 p.m. CT against the winner of No. 12 seeded University of Maryland and No. 13 Rutgers on Wednesday night.
The Terrapins enter the tournament having lost eight of their last 10 games. But, they’re led by 2023 All-Big Ten second team guard Jahmir Young (20.8 points, 4.2 assists, 1.3 steals) and 2023 All-Big Ten honorable mentions Julian Reese (13.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.9 blocks) and Donta Scott (11.3 points).
Men’s Basketball: Badgers hang with No. 3 Purdue, cannot overcome shooting woes
In their only matchup this season, Wisconsin defeated Maryland 74–70 at the Kohl Center behind 18 points from forward Tyler Wahl and never trailed after the 10:30 mark in the first half.
UW went 1-1 against Rutgers in 2023-24, losing their road bout in New Jersey by 22 before picking up a 12-point win over the Scarlet Knights in Madison on March 7. Rutgers is also stumbling into the tournament, having dropped six of their last seven — all by double-digits — and having been without Mawot Mag (26.8 MPG) in six of their last eight contests due to injury.
When the Badgers traveled to Piscataway, they were down both McGee and Blackwell and allowed the Scarlet Knights — who shot 28.9% from deep in the regular season — to go 10-for-17 (58.8%) from beyond the arc. In their second matchup, Rutgers shot 33% from three on 21 attempts and the duo of Blackwell and McGee combined for 28 points.
If the Badgers get past either the Terrapins or Scarlet Knights, they’ll be set up to face Northwestern University on Friday afternoon. The Wildcats enter the Big Ten Tournament below full strength, with starting center Matthew Nicholson dealing with a foot injury and starting guard Ty Berry out for the season with a torn meniscus.
But, both were healthy for Wisconsin’s 71–63 win over Northwestern on Jan. 13 where the Badgers led for the entire second half and got 24 points from guard Max Klesmit.
Though they’re shorthanded, Northwestern isn’t a team to scoff at. The Wildcats are led by 2023 All-Big Ten first team guard and Northwestern all-time leading scorer Boo Buie (18.9 points, 5.2 assists). Buie is surrounded by high-caliber shooters in Ryan Langborg and Brooks Barnhizer — making them an offense that can put up points in a hurry.
Assuming the Badgers push past No. 4 seeded Northwestern, they’d likely land a third shot to take down Purdue in the semifinals Saturday. As the current favorite to earn the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, taking down the Boilermakers on a neutral court is a tall task. Purdue is a perfect 21-0 at home and at neutral sites and lead the nation in combined Quadrant 1 and 2 wins.
But, it’s not easy to beat a team three times in a season. Though the Badgers went 0-2 against the Boilermakers in the regular season, they lost by six and eight points, respectively and shot a combined 8-for-43 (18.6%) from 3-point land.
If the Badgers can find their stroke from beyond the arc and go positive in the turnover margin — something they did in both games — expect UW to give Purdue a run for their money in this hypothetical matchup.
While there’s almost guaranteed to be upsets and chaos this weekend, UW will have a solid opportunity to bolster their resume and build some positive momentum for the NCAA Tournament.
