Though Wisconsin fell out of the AP Top 25 this week, the Badgers still have an opportunity to grab a top-four seed in the Big Ten tournament that delivers a bye all the way to the March 13 quarterfinals in Chicago.
But to put sufficient pressure on the three teams one game ahead in the conference standings, the Badgers (19-8, 11-5) need to sweep their two-game trip to the Pacific Northwest that begins with Oregon (10-17, 3-13) on Wednesday night in Eugene, Ore.
Wisconsin has won four of its last six games, including an 84-71 win over Iowa at home on Sunday. The Badgers made 53.8% of their shots as fifth-year guard Nick Boyd nearly delivered his first triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Boyd has scored in double figures every game he’s played this season and paces the Badgers with 20.6 points per game. John Blackwell (18.5 ppg) gives Wisconsin the highest-scoring backcourt in the Big Ten.
“He really puts a lot of pressure on the defense like he always has,” Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard said of Boyd. “He plays with emotion, plays with fire and he backs it up.”
Oregon, enduring its first losing season since Dana Altman came to town in 2010, still has some motivation. The Ducks are in a clump of five teams at the bottom of the Big Ten standings. If they can get out of the bottom four, then they would avoid having to play on the first day of the Big Ten tournament — which would require six wins in six days to collect their third straight NCAA Tournament bid.
Oregon has won two of its last three games, which includes a 71-70 upset of Southern California on Saturday in Los Angeles. Forward Kwame Evans Jr. (12.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg) has been the healthiest of the Ducks’ trio of top players and taken on a bigger role on offense. Now that center Nate Bittle (16.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg) is back from injury, the Ducks are more potent.
Bittle, who has averaged 17.8 points since returning to the lineup Feb. 7, sank the winning free throws at USC with 10 seconds left.
“Really proud of them,” Altman said on his postgame radio appearance. “A tough road win, but guys did a good job.”
