The Wisconsin Badgers earned the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament set to begin this week.
After a much-needed and impressive win on Sunday over the Minnesota Golden Gophers, the Wisconsin Badgers earned the No. 2 overall seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament, which is set to begin on Wednesday in Washington D.C.
The official bracket for the 2017 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament. #B1GTourney https://t.co/J4ZkglurZ5 pic.twitter.com/JCibRn3LsK
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) March 6, 2017
Wisconsin will await the winner of the No. 7 Iowa Hawkeyes and No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers game, which will tip off at 5:30 pm ET on Thursday. Wisconsin needs to win just three games to win the title, but will have to go through some tough opponents to get there.
First up will be Iowa or Indiana, whom the Badgers boast a 2-1 record over this season. Wisconsin’ second game of the Big Ten season was a victory on the road in Bloomington over an Indiana team that was still nationally ranked and in consideration to win the conference.
Unfortunately for the Hoosiers, the downfall continued and injuries loomed as last season’s conference champion finished tenth in the conference. While struggling to end the year, the Hoosiers still have a ton of talent, possibly at the NBA level. In addition, as you may know- it is never easy to beat a team three times in a season.
The other team that could come out of that game is Iowa- who has been red-hot and have suddenly played their way back into NCAA Tournament discussions. The Hawkeyes stunned the Badgers at the Kohl Center 59-57 last week after a slew of turnovers and missed free throws set up a Jordan Bohannon game winning three in the final seconds.
Semifinals
If the Badgers get passed Iowa or Indiana, they will be looking at a multitude of possible matchups. To narrow it down, the only realistic teams they could face at this point are No. 14 Rutgers, No. 11 Ohio State, No. 6 Northwestern, or No. 3 Maryland.
The Badgers have 4-2 record against those teams, but only played against the No. 6 and No. 3 seed once each. An earlier loss to Northwestern was the catalyst to the Badgers’ recent losing skid, and it is safe to assume they would like another crack at the Wildcats.
If the top seeds hold on, the Badgers would face Maryland- who they tied for second with, with a trip to the title game on the line.
Championship
Looking way ahead, if the Badgers make it to the title game, they can be looking at a number of matchups from the more unpredictable side of the bracket. Minnesota, Purdue, and Michigan are all red-hot as of late, and with the addition of Tom Izzo in there- you never know what might happen. Check back with us in a couple days. Your guess is as good as ours.
The Badgers will face the winner of Indiana-Iowa on Friday at 5:30 pm CT on Big Ten Network.