The Wisconsin Badgers will play their first game in the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday against the Washington Huskies, who defeated the USC Trojans 83-79 in overtime on Wednesday.
In the win, Washington overcame a 13-point deficit behind Zoom Diallo’s 22 points, Quimari Peterson’s 15 points and Wesley Yates III’s 15 points with 13 minutes remaining. The Huskies had three players (Hannes Steinbach, Diallo and Peterson) play 43 minutes while their rotation was limited to seven players.
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The Trojans, on the other hand, were unable to snap a seven-game losing streak and their season was over. As a result, Wisconsin and Washington State will tip off Thursday afternoon, with the game expected to begin around 1:30 PM Central Time.
The two teams recently met in Spokane, with the Badgers picking up a good win on the road. Brayden Carrington scored 32 points and hit a franchise-record nine 3-pointers in that win, while Wisconsin hit 17 3-pointers at a 45% three-point shooting rate.
Wisconsin will likely be without Nolan Winter, though, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the Badgers suspended him this week in preparation for the NCAA Tournament. Without Winter, the Badgers started Austin Rupp and Alexa Biliuskas together for the first time in the regular-season finale against the Purdue Boilers.
The two shined in that game, combining for 33 points and eight 3-pointers, a performance that Wisconsin absolutely needed to beat the Boilermakers on the road. If Winter is out, the Badgers may have to further compress the rotation or go deeper on the bench again. Will Garlock and Hayden Jones played four and seven minutes, respectively, against Purdue.
If the Badgers win, they will face the Illinois Fighting Illini in the Big Ten quarterfinals on Friday. The Badgers currently hold a 6.5-point advantage heading into Thursday’s game.