Wisconsin Badgers vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Predictions

The Wisconsin Badgers take on Notre Dame in the Sweet 16

Friday night the Wisconsin Badgers will take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Sweet 16, looking to advance to the Elite Eight for the third straight season.

It’s the fifth Sweet 16 for the Badgers in the past six seasons, as Wisconsin continues an incredible tournament run over the past half-decade.

The Badgers took down Pittsburgh in the opening round of the tournament this year, then advanced past Xavier on a Bronson Koenig buzzer-beater.

Now they will face Notre Dame in the Sweet 16. The Badgers, the lower seed in a 7-6 matchup, will look for their second straight upset in the NCAA Tournament.

Here’s how we see the game playing out:

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Taylor Johnson: Bronson Koenig hit one of the most memorable shots in NCAA Tournament to advance the Wisconsin Badgers to the Sweet 16. But they can’t keep relying on luck if they want to advance to the next round. Nigel Hayes will need to fix his shooting woes if Wisconsin is looking to move on to the Elite Eight. And I think this is the game that Hayes breaks through and has a good shooting night. Ethan Happ will have another solid game and Wisconsin’s defense will shut down the Fighting Irish late in the game.

Another magical Badgers run continues.

Wisconsin 69, Notre Dame 61

Rayan Vatti: Although Wisconsin’s offense has been inconsistent, they should be good enough to score on Notre Dame’s very porous defense, which is ranked 172^nd in the nation according to Pomeroy Rankings. This is the perfect game to cure the shooting slump of Nigel Hayes, as he will have a mismatch the whole game. The Fighting Irish have nobody that can effectively guard him. He should be able to draw a lot of fouls and regain his confidence.

I also think Wisconsin’s defense is well suited to stop Notre Dame’s offense. Wisconsin is very good at running teams off the 3-point line, which is the perfect antidote for Notre Dame’s 3-point shooting prowess. Ethan Happ is tough and savvy enough to limit Zach Auguste on the offensive boards.

Wisconsin 71, Notre Dame 64

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Erik Buchinger: Defensively, Wisconsin will have to slow Notre Dame’s offense down and will need a group effort to limit the athletic Demetrius Jackson and Zach Auguste. The Badgers will be in trouble if their frontcourt gets into foul trouble like they did against Xavier. Nigel Hayes could not have played much worse last week, but I predict he will have a big game and lead Wisconsin in points. Bronson Koenig will make a big shot in the closing seconds to advance the Badgers to the Elite Eight.

Wisconsin 68, Notre Dame 66

Jim Oxley: On paper, the Badgers have already made it past a much tougher opponent than the Irish in their win over the Xavier Musketeers. However, they certainly can’t take Notre Dame lightly, and will need to bring their A-game if they want to advance to the Elite Eight.

The biggest obstacle in the Badgers way (both literally and figuratively) is Zach Auguste, who averages a double-double on the season. Wisconsin will need to play a smart game inside, and Ethan Happ will need to show up in a big way. The Badgers should see Nigel Hayes bounce back, and will advance to the Elite Eight and keep dancing.

Wisconsin 63, Notre Dame 56

Next: Badgers-Irish Game Info

The Badgers and the Irish play in the Sweet 16 Friday night, with a tip-off at 6:27 p.m. CT.

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