After the Nebraska Cornhuskers upset the Iowa Hawkeyes 81-77 on Sunday afternoon, the Wisconsin Badgers are locked into the 12th seed in the Big 10 tournament, where they will face off against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first round on Wednesday at 5:30 PM CT.
The Badgers came into the day with multiple possibilities, but end with the worst scenario, as the Penn State Nittany Lions secured the 10th seed with a win over the Maryland Terrapins, and the Cornhuskers came back for a key win to secure the 11th seed.
Wisconsin faces off against the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Sunday evening in a must-win game to have their playoff hopes alive, but the Badgers now don’t have any control over their fate in the Big 10 tournament.
The Badgers defeated the Buckeyes in their lone matchup this season in a 65-60 victory on February 2nd, where they forced star freshman Brice Sensabaugh into foul trouble, neutralizing Ohio State’s top option.
Should the Badgers pull off the victory, they’ll face the No. 5 seed in the Big 10 tournament on Thursday.
To make the NCAA tournament, it may require three consecutive victories for the Badgers, including the two in the Big 10 tournament, which hasn’t been Wisconsin’s forte all season.
In fact, the Badgers haven’t won consecutive games since January 3rd, when they improved to 11-2 on the season.
But, the Badgers need to increase their level of play heading into the tournament, which begins on Sunday against the Gophers.
Against the Purdue Boilermakers, the Badgers showcased they can keep up with the best, but they’ve also lost to below-average teams. Now, they’ll need their best performances to have a chance in the tournament.
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