Wisconsin arguably benefited the most from the Big Ten’s single-play cycling schedule this season, drawing both Indiana and Michigan only once during the regular season slate.
Bo Ryan has done it again. The Badger men’s basketball coach received his third Big Ten Coach of the Year honor Monday after leading Wisconsin (12-6 Big Ten, 21-10 overall) to a fourth-place finish in arguably the best conference in college basketball.
The first 39 minutes, 56 seconds weren’t the prettiest, but No. 22 Wisconsin (12-6 Big Ten, 21-10 overall) escaped with a win at Penn State (2-16, 10-20) on sophomore guard Traevon Jackson’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer Sunday at the Bryce Jordan Center.
EAST LANSING, Mich.—Wisconsin did not get Michigan State’s best Thursday night. The Izzone was on spring break, the band was out of town and the Spartans couldn’t find the backside of a barn in the first half. The Badgers’ problem was that they couldn’t find it, either. Wisconsin (11-6 Big Ten, 20-10 overall) continued to struggle shooting the basketball, making just 15-of-51 (29 percent) from the field en route to a resounding 58-43 defeat in East Lansing, Mich.
Losing by 10 at halftime to a favored team that had already beaten UW twice this season; it appeared the Wisconsin women's basketball team (3-13 Big Ten, 12-18 Overall) was looking at the end of its season.
Though it seemed as if Wisconsin had squandered any chance at a share of the Big Ten regular season title with Sunday’s senior day loss to Purdue, a win Thursday night in East Lansing would put the Badgers just a single win and an Indiana loss from the crown.
Either No. 22 Wisconsin (11-5 Big Ten, 20-9 overall) or No. 10 Michigan State (11-5, 22-7) will be eliminated from regular season conference championship contention after the teams’ showdown Thursday in East Lansing.
The Wisconsin women's basketball team (3-13 Big Ten, 11-18 overall) will need a win against Illinois (9-7, 16-12) to keep their season alive. History is not on the side of the Badgers, as they have lost to the Illini all three times they have met up in the Big Ten tournament and have lost the teams' two meetings this season.
A four-way tie atop the Big Ten conference at season’s end is entirely plausible after No. 14 Ohio State beat the No. 2 Hoosiers at Assembly Hall Tuesday, 67-58.
The old adage goes something like, “If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again.” Unfortunately, the Badgers bought into that sentiment a bit too much Sunday afternoon, missing their final 18 attempts from 3-point range in a 69-56 loss at the hands of Purdue.
The Wisconsin women’s basketball team (3-13 Big Ten, 11-18 Overall) will only have one more chance to “finish strong,” as it says on bracelets worn during each practice. The Badgers’ regular season came to an end Sunday in a 54-48 loss at Michigan State (10-6 Big Ten, 22-7 Overall).
Five Badgers will suit up for their final game at the Kohl Center Sunday when Purdue (6-9 Big Ten, 13-15 overall) visits Wisconsin (11-4, 20-8) in the midst of UW’s push to capture a share of the regular season conference championship.
Having lost three out of its last four games, the Wisconsin women’s basketball team (3-11 Big Ten, 11-16 overall) looks to finish its regular season slate on a high note as Nebraska (11-3, 21-6) comes to Madison for UW’s final home game before the Big Ten conference tournament.
Wisconsin freshman forward Sam Dekker has slowly worked his way into the conversation for Big Ten freshman of the year with four straight games in double figures. But after a career-high 19 points Tuesday against Nebraska, Dekker not only has himself squarely in the driver’s seat for that honor, but may just be positioned for sixth man of the year as well. Checking in just six minutes into the game with the score tied at 8, Dekker helped the Badgers explode on a 24-2 run that erased what had been a 12-11 Nebraska lead and replaced it with a 35-14 UW advantage.
Women's Basketball
Nebraska (4-10 Big Ten, 13-14 overall) has been more competitive this season than its four conference wins would suggest. While the Cornhuskers have yet to come away with a win against the Big Ten’s upper echelon, they have certainly made things interesting in a handful of such games.
Wisconsin (3-11 Big Ten, 11-16 overall) could not hold on to the lead Saturday and fell to Northwestern (5-9, 13-14) in a 54-52 thriller.
With the Wisconsin men's basketball team trouncing Northwestern by 28 and only allowing 12 first half points, the women's team (3-10 Big Ten, 11-15 overall) is looking to make it a Badger double against the Wildcats (4-9, 12-14).
EVANSTON, Ill.—Though you wouldn’t have known looking at the sea of red in the stands Wednesday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena, the Badgers did indeed pick up a road win in Evanston, defeating the Wildcats (4-10 Big Ten, 13-14 overall) by a final of 69-41. Running out to a 9-0 lead before the first media break, Wisconsin (10-4, 19-8) never looked back, increasing its lead to 28-12 at the half and cruising home to a comfortable victory.
While any Big Ten conference schedule would be a grueling test this season, Wisconsin (9-4 Big Ten, 18-8 overall) might have had the toughest slate of any team in the conference the last 10 games. The Badgers have played six ranked teams during that stretch, more than any other Big Ten team. Further, none of those 10 games came against a team in the bottom one-third of the conference standings.
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