Wisconsin Basketball: Looking Ahead to the Big Ten Tournament

The Wisconsin Badgers are the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will look to make a run to the NCAA tournament

Introduction

The Wisconsin Badgers have had an up and down season, but they are looking to get back on track in the Big Ten Tournament. The tournament will be played from March 11-15 at the United Center in Chicago. The Badgers are the #5 seed in the tournament and will play #12 seed Ohio State in the first round on March 11 at 2:30pm CT. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

Wisconsin’s Regular Season

Wisconsin’s regular season has come to an end, and the Badgers are looking ahead to the Big Ten Tournament Wisconsin finished the regular season with a 21-10 record, including a 12-6 record in conference play The Badgers finished in fifth place in the Big Ten Standings and they will be the fifth seed in the conference tournament

In the first round of the tournament, Wisconsin will face off against 12th-seeded Illinois. The game will be played on Thursday, March 14 at 6:30pm CT. If Wisconsin wins, they will advance to play fourth-seeded Iowa in the second round on Friday, March 15 at 8:30pm CT.

The Badgers will be looking to make a run in the conference tournament and secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament Wisconsin has not made it to the NCAA tournament since 2015, when they lost in the first round. With a strong showing in the Conference Tournament Wisconsin could make a case for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament

The Badgers have some work to do if they want to make it to the NCAA tournament but they are certainly capable of making a run in the conference tournament Stay tuned for more coverage of Wisconsin basketball as they head into postseason play!

Previewing the Big Ten Tournament

The Big Ten Tournament begins on Wednesday, and Wisconsin will be the No. 5 seed. The first round matchups are as follows:

(5) Wisconsin vs. (12) Penn State
(6) Iowa vs. (11) Northwestern
(7) Michigan vs. (10) Maryland
(8) Indiana vs. (9) Ohio State

The winner of the Wisconsin/Penn State game will play the winner of the Iowa/Northwestern game in the quarterfinals on Thursday. The semifinals will be on Friday, and the Championship game will be on Sunday.

Wisconsin went 14-6 in conference play this season and finished tied for third place in the Big Ten standings with Michigan State The Badgers are 20-10 overall and have won six of their last seven games.

Here is a look at how Wisconsin has fared against its possible opponents in the Big Ten Tournament:

Penn State: 2-0 (won 67-55 at Penn State on Jan. 3 and won 74-63 at home on Feb. 10)
Iowa: 1-1 (lost 79-74 at Iowa on Jan. 30 and won 70-60 at home on Feb 9)
Northwestern: 2-0 (won 72-59 at Northwestern on Jan 5 and won 63-57 at home on Feb 16)
Michigan: 0-2 (lost 74-69 at home to Michigan on Jan 25 and lost 56-54 at Michigan on Feb 23)
Maryland: 1=1 (won 69=61 away at Maryland on Dec 7 and lost 68=63 to Maryland back home Jan 18th) Ohio State 1=1 (lost 62=58 to OhioState away Dec 31st 2017 then won 71=56 back home Feb 27th 2018

The Badgers’ Key Players

Wisconsin will enter the Conference tournament as the No. 3 seed and will play No. 6 Iowa in the quarterfinals on Friday. The winner of that game will advance to play either No. 2 Ohio State or No. 7 Rutgers in the semifinals on Saturday.

The Badgers are led by a trio of Key Players junior point guard D’Mitrik Trice, sophomore forward Nate Reuvers and freshman guard Brad Davison

Trice is averaging a team-best 15.8 points per game while Reuvers is second with 13.7 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game Davison is adding 11.5 points and 3.5 assists per game for Wisconsin.

All three players are capable scorers and have been key contributors for the Badgers all season long They will need to be at their best if Wisconsin wants to make a run in the conference tournament and earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament

The Competition

In order to have a successful tournament and make a deep run, the Badgers will likely have to go through some tough competition. The Big Ten is home to some of the best teams in the country, and the tournament will be no different. Here are some of the teams that Wisconsin could potentially face:

--Michigan State The Spartans are one of the top teams in the country and are always a tough out in the tournament. They have size and experience, and they will be a tough matchup for anyone.

-Iowa: The Hawkeyes are another team that could give Wisconsin trouble. They are a solid all-around team and they have shown they can compete with anyone in the conference.

-Maryland: The Terrapins are another team to watch out for. They have a lot of talent and they can score points in bunches. They will be a tough matchup for whoever they play in the tournament.

-Purdue: The Boilermakers are yet another team that could give Wisconsin fits. They have size, experience, and they can shoot the lights out from anywhere on the court. They will be a tough team to beat.

The Road to the NCAA Tournament

The Road to the NCAA Tournament is a long and arduous one, and the Wisconsin Badgers have been (mostly) up to the task over the last few years. This season is no different, as the Badgers find themselves squarely on the bubble heading into the final weeks of the Regular Season

With that said, there are a few things that need to happen if Wisconsin wants to make a return trip to the Big Dance. First and foremost, they need to take care of business in the Big Ten Tournament A deep run in Indianapolis would do wonders for their NCAA Tournament resume.

In addition, they need some help from other teams around the country. A couple of losses by teams ahead of them in the standings, coupled with a few wins by Wisconsin, could be enough to move them into serious contention for an at-large bid.

Of course, all of this is moot if the Badgers don’t take care of business in their final games of the regular season They currently sit at 19-9 overall and 10-6 in conference play, and they’ll need to finish strong to have any chance at an NCAA tournament berth.

So far this season, Wisconsin has shown that they are capable of beating any team in the country when they’re Playing their best basketball. If they can put it all together over these next few weeks, there’s no reason why they can’t make a run at an NCAA Tournament berth.

The Final Four

The Big Ten tournament is the final chance for Wisconsin to make an impression on the NCAA Tournament selection committee. The Badgers are currently ranked No. 5 in the AP poll and are projected to be a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament but a loss in the Big Ten tournament could drop them to a No. 3 or even a No. 4 seed.

The Big Ten tournament will be held from March 14-17 at the United Center in Chicago, and Wisconsin is seeded No. 2 in the tournament. The Badgers will have a bye in the first round and will play their first game on Friday, March 15 at 2:30 p.m. CT against the winner of the first-round game between Iowa and Northwestern.

Wisconsin is 26-4 overall this season and 16-2 in Big Ten play, so they have already clinched a share of the Regular Season conference title The Badgers are currently on a five-game Winning Streak which includes victories over then-No. 3 Purdue and then-No. 7 Michigan State

The National Championship

The National Championship is the most revered and important trophy in all of college basketball It is the goal of every team to hoist the championship trophy at the end of the season, and it is what every player dreams of when they first step onto the court.

The University of Wisconsin has been fortunate enough to win the National Championship on two occasions, most recently in 2015. The Badgers are looking to get back to that level this season, and they will have their chance to do so in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament.

The Badgers are currently sitting at 20-10 on the season, and they are coming off of a loss to the Michigan State Spartans in their final regular season game Wisconsin will now look to regroup and get ready for the Big Ten Tournament, where they will be the No. 5 seed. They will have a tough road ahead of them if they want to make it back to the National Championship game, but it is certainly a possibility for this talented squad.

Conclusion

The Wisconsin Badgers have had an up-and-down season, but they enter the Big Ten Tournament with a lot to play for. They are currently on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament and a deep run in the conference tournament could solidify their place in the field.

The Badgers will open the tournament against Illinois, a team they beat twice during the regular season If they can get past Illinois, they will likely face Michigan State in the semifinals. Michigan State is one of the best teams in the country, but Wisconsin has already beaten them once this season.

A run to the finals of the Big Ten Tournament would give Wisconsin a great chance to make the NCAA tournament They would also get a chance to revenge their loss to Michigan State in last year’s tournament. Either way, it should be an exciting few days for Wisconsin basketball fans

Afterthoughts

It’s hard to believe that the 2017-’18 college Basketball season is already coming to a close. For the Wisconsin Badgers it has been a roller coaster ride of a campaign, as they have battled through injuries and experienced both highs and lows. As the team looks ahead to the Big Ten tournament, let’s take a look at some of the biggest storylines.