Wisconsin’s first matchup in the Big Ten Tournament is set.
The Badgers have earned a double-bye and will be the No. 5 seed in the conference tournament at the United Center in Chicago. They will face the winner of 12th-seeded Washington and 13th-seeded USC on March 12.
The official start time will be 25 minutes after the 11 a.m. game, suggesting that the UW game might tip off sometime in the 1:30-2 p.m. range.
Wisconsin’s upset win over No. 14 Purdue on March 7 bumped the Badgers’ seed from No. 6 to No. 5. Illinois survived an upset scare against Maryland on March 8 to keep the Badgers from climbing up to the No. 4 seed.
Wisconsin’s path forward in the Big Ten Tournament follows a regular season with a 22-9 overall record and 14-6 Big Ten record. It was the Badgers’ sixth time winning 14-plus Big Ten games in program history.
Wisconsin has advanced to the Big Ten title game in back-to-back seasons before losing to Illinois in 2024 and Michigan in 2025. UW’s last Big Ten tournament title was in 2015.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Who, when Wisconsin Badgers will play first in Big Ten Tournament
Reporting by John Steppe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
