The Badgers need a win to remain as a No. 2 seed in bracket predictions.
Fresh off a five-game win streak, the No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers are staying at home for a matchup with the Oregon Ducks, with tip-off set for 11:00 a.m. at the Kohl Center on Saturday.
Wisconsin really shined earlier in the week with a 95-74 victory over the Illinois Fighting Illini at the Kohl Center, as John Tonje scored at least 30 points in back-to-back games, while Steven Crowl had his best game of the season with 20 points.
Tonje was instrumental in Wisconsin’s second-half takeover, scoring 21 points in the period alone as the Badgers put up 95 overall points in the win. It was the first time that the Badgers had scored at least 90 points in back-to-back Big Ten games in over 30 years.
Tonje has been a rising candidate not only for the Big Ten Player of the Year Award, but also for a first-team All-American spot with his surge over the last eight games, where he’s averaged over 25 points per game.
He became just the fourth Badger ever to score 30 points in back-to-back games, joining Michael Finley, Rick Olson, and Clarence Sherrod.
Now, the Badgers enter a matchup against an Oregon Ducks team that has gone 19-8 on the year and 8-8 in conference play, most recently winning a close 80-78 game over the Iowa Hawkeyes on the road.
The Ducks are led by sophomore guard Jackson Shelstad, who has been a force over the second half of the season, averaging 13.3 points per game on 44.3 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from three.
Behind him, Oregon has two solid big men who can shoot, as seven-footer Nate Bittle is second on the team in scoring with 12.9 points, while leading his squad in rebounding at 7.1 per game.
The Ducks have been up-and-down at times in conference play, starting off strong before losing five games in a row. They’ve now rebounded back with three consecutive wins and will look to pull off a second-straight victory on the road.
The Badgers come into Saturday as an 8.5-point favorite at home. Will they be able to maintain their stance as a projected No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and extend their winning streak to six games?