Last season, the Wisconsin Badgers won 11 out of their last 13 Big Ten games to finish 12-6 in the conference.
This year however, the team lost five of its last seven games to finish 12-6 and sneak in as a No. 2 seed in the Big Ten tournament.
Regardless of how they earned the two-round bye, the Badgers hope to be back on pace heading into the postseason. Wisconsin shot 8 of 10 from the 3-point line in the second half to top the Minnesota Gophers 66-49 at the Kohl Center in the regular-season finale.
Sophomore forward Ethan Happ has led the way all season long, averaging 13.9 points and nine rebounds per game. Happ’s strong defensive play single-handedly won the Badgers a few tough conference games, including his block of Tai Webster’s shot in the final seconds of a 70-69 overtime win over Nebraska. Happ was named to the All-Big Ten first team and All-Big Ten Defensive Team.
Teammates Zak Showalter (All-Defensive Team), Bronson Koenig (All-Big Ten second team) and Nigel Hayes (All-Big Ten third team) also earned hardware in the conference’s end-of-season awards.
The 2017 tournament is up for grabs. Even last-place Rutgers took No. 2 Wisconsin to overtime in the regular season, and No. 13 seed Penn State knocked off No. 3 Maryland and fourth-seeded Minnesota and barely lost to No. 1 Purdue in overtime.
This is a streaky Badgers team that has shown when they’re cold, they’re cold (as evidenced in their late-season slump). But postseason experience in March from seniors Koenig, Hayes, Zak Showalter and Vitto Brown, as well as returning members of last season's Sweet 16 team, is priceless and can take this team the distance.
FIRST-ROUND MATCHUP
Wisconsin will play the winner of Thursday’s game between No. 7 Iowa and No. 10 Indiana.
-- Iowa: The Hawkeyes are one of those middle-of-the-pack Big Ten teams that could easily make a run in the tournament. All-Big Ten First Team guard Peter Jok has battled through injury for much of the season but he looks back to form after scoring 35 points in a win over Indiana on Feb. 21. Forward Nicholas Baer -- who was voted the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year – does all the dirty work. The sophomore ranks in the conference’s top 10 in blocks and is fourth overall in steals (1.5 per game). And, oh yeah, Wisconsin lost 59-57 to the Hawkeyes at home on March 2 when Iowa went on a 7-0 run to close the game.
-- Indiana: Wisconsin had no problem with the Hoosiers this year, sweeping the season series 2-0. Indiana only has one senior on its roster and is led by juniors James Blackmon Jr. (17.0 ppg) and Robert Johnson (13.3 ppg). The Hoosiers lost to Iowa 96-90 in overtime on Feb. 21, so Wisconsin may get to see an entertaining basketball game as it waits out its double bye.
OTHER CONTENDERS:
-- No. 1 Purdue: Unanimous Big Ten Player of the Year Caleb Swanigan was the first player to lead the league in conference-game points (18.9) and rebounds (12.6) per game since Evan Turner in 2009-10. Purdue can flat out score the basketball. The Boilermakers shot 48 percent from the floor in conference games, including a league-leading 40 percent from the three-point line. Wisconsin lost to Purdue, 66-55 on Jan. 8. The Badgers can't face the Boilermakers until the final.
-- No. 3 Maryland: The Badgers won their biggest game of the year over Maryland, a 71-60 victory at the Kohl Center on Feb. 19 that stopped a two-game skid. First-team All-Big Ten guard Melo Trimble scores almost 17 points per game, and Justin Jackson and Anthony Cowan are both consistently in double digits. Maryland started the conference season 8-1 but lost five of its last nine games to finish 12-6. If both favorites win, a semifinal matchup against the Terrapins would be looming.
-- No. 4 Minnesota: Wisconsin didn’t have any part of the Gophers’ eight-game winning streak that earned them a top-four seed, as the Badgers defeated Minnesota twice this season. But this isn’t the same Gophers team the Big Ten is used to. Head coach Richard Pitino’s squad only allows its opponents to shoot 39.6 percent from the floor and 31 percent from the 3-point line, best in the conference. A third border battle between these two teams would be entertaining, but it would have to take place in the Big Ten championship game.
-- No. 5 Michigan State: No one wants to face a Spartans team led by head coach Tom Izzo in March. But this Michigan State team never seemed to find its groove in the regular season. A large part of that was because of injuries. Unanimous Big Ten Freshman of the Year Miles Bridges (16.6 ppg, 8.3 rpg) missed seven games and redshirt senior Eron Harris, third on the team in scoring, was lost for the season with a knee injury on Feb. 18. Wisconsin was defeated 84-74 by the Spartans on Feb. 26 at the Breslin Student Events Center. The Spartans are on the other side of the bracket, meaning they'd likely have to pull off a couple of upsets to make the title game, which is where Wisconsin could meet them.
-- No. 6 Northwestern: The Wildcats are one of the NCAA’s top stories this season. Head coach Chris Collins, in his fourth season with the program, is on the verge of sending Northwestern to the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. Although the Wildcats are almost guaranteed to be in, this team might need a solid tournament performance more than anyone to prove they belong. Wisconsin lost at home to Northwestern, 66-59 on Feb. 12. If the Wildcats get past their game Thursday, Maryland awaits them before any potential semifinal matchup with the Badgers.
