Badgers Survive Washington to Open Their Big Ten Tournament
Wisconsin opened its Big Ten Tournament with an impressive win over Washington, 85-82. After winning their final three regular-season games, the Badgers opened the postseason by beating the Huskies for the second time this year.
The No. 5 seed in the tournament, Wisconsin didn’t lose a step despite a double-bye. The No. 5 seed put up another elite offensive performance, able to knock down shots from beyond the arc to stay ahead. Greg Gard‘s group will face the No. 4 seed, Illinois, in the quarterfinals tomorrow afternoon.
Hot Start Kept Wisconsin Ahead
The Badgers were rolling to start this one, up as many as 13 points within the first 10 minutes. They never trailed in this half, mainly due to defensive rotations and good looks on the other end. Wisconsin forced Washington to shoot 3-for-12 with just seven points and three turnovers early on.
The star duo of Nick Boyd and John Blackwell propelled the offense, combining for 29 points in 20 minutes, shooting 11-for-21 from the field. The Badgers shot 8-for-21 from beyond the arc, navigating the Huskies’ switching between man-to-man and zone defenses.
However, Washington stormed back with a 6-0 run, keeping up with Wisconsin from there. Hannes Steinbach carried most of the load with 12 points and seven rebounds, but the Huskies also snagged eight offensive rebounds in the half. They notched 14 paint points and 12 free throws. Meanwhile, the Badgers took just three attempts from the charity stripe.
Despite the defensive rotations getting weaker as the half went on, Wisconsin was up 43-33 at the break after a 6-0 run in the last minute. An Aleksas Bieliauskas put-back, plus the foul, pushed the lead to double digits.
Washington Mounted a Miraculous Comeback
The second half was simply a masterclass from the Badgers’ star duo. Blackwell, specifically, was a flamethrower at all times, finishing with a career-high 34 points and 10 rebounds on 58.3% shooting from the field. He got to all of his sweet spots due to quick passes and off-ball movement, but also managed to take defenders off the dribble.
Boyd was elite as well with 23 points and nine assists. The guards put up vintage performances, shooting a combined 11-for-18 from three. Overall, Wisconsin pulled this one out with hot shooting, but also second-chance opportunities with 12 offensive rebounds.
Disaster nearly struck at the end, however, as the Huskies miraculously cut the deficit to one after being down by as many as 18 points. It got extremely scary toward the end, as they never went away and fought back with toughness on both ends. Washington outscored Wisconsin 23-10 in the final eight minutes.
Steinbach and Zoom Diallo combined for 49 points and 20 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough. The Huskies scored at an incredible rate down the stretch, but a Blackwell jumper put the Badgers up three points with 49 seconds to go. Washington had a chance to tie it after Andrew Rohde‘s free throws, but a missed three-pointer sealed the deal.
