Wisconsin came into San Diego and took the court by storm, throttling the Providence Friars 104-83 in a stunning game. While the Badgers were favored to win, no one expected it to be by this much and this decisively. The Badgers put on a show and now head into the championship game for the Rady Children's Invitational versus TCU, a team they've never played before.
Vegas set the line in favor of Wisconsin with a 6.5 spread. That might surprise you even after blowing the doors off Providence, for TCU shocked the reigning National Champions, the Florida Gators, in the first round, 84-80.
The Gators are currently ranked No. 10 in the nation and are considered one of the elite teams in the country. TCU came out and hung with them the entire game, controlling the pace, not turning the ball over, and making clutch shots down the stretch. You'd think that with TCU showing they can beat the champs and a top-10 team, they'd be the favored team over the Badgers.
Wisconsin is favored over TCU in the Rady Children's Invitational Championship game
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However, it shouldn't surprise you because of what the Badgers did to Providence. The Friars came in as a NET 100 team, and TCU is a NET 78. If Wisconsin can dismantle Providence, Vegas is assuming they can at least beat the Horned Frogs.
Wisconsin did it in a remarkable way, too, with impressive performances from two transfers. Nicky Boyd scored a career high of 36 points and added 7 assists and 7 rebounds. Austin Rapp was also impressive with 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Oh, and Nolan Winter had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The Friars were able to stymy John Blackwell and yet still lost by 20+ points. Maybe tomorrow, Blackwell will be the one who takes it to the Horned Frogs.
So, all that to say, the line may surprise you, but it shouldn't considering how both teams came out in their opening game. One took down the champs, the other dismantled a Quad-2 foe, and now they get to face each other in the championship game, and it is setting up to be a battle.
You can catch the Wisconsin vs. TCU game tomorrow at 4:30 pm CT on FOX.