Fresh off a 77-74 win over the Michigan State Spartans, the No. 5-seeded Wisconsin Badgers are facing off against the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines on Sunday in the Big Ten Tournament championship, with tip-off set for approximately 2:30 p.m.
Wisconsin started off the tournament with a close 70-63 win over the Northwestern Wildcats, playing a strong defensive game to get the job done in a low-scoring contest.
Then came their scoring barrage against UCLA, where the Badgers hit a program record in the Big Ten Tournament with 19 threes en route to a blowout.
Saturday’s game had a different feel, as there wasn’t any overarching takeaway. It was just hard-fought basketball between two really good teams for 40 minutes, with the second half being a pure back-and-forth battle until the final buzzer.
John Tonje was the answer for the Badgers, finishing with 32 points on just 15 shots, thanks to his 12 free throws, as he willed Wisconsin to victory with tough shot after tough shot.
The Badgers also played good defense, especially in the first half after they allowed an early 13-4 run, keeping the Spartans in check as they slowly turned the tides in their favor to enter halftime with a four-point lead.
Moving on, Wisconsin will take on the No. 3-seeded Michigan Wolverines on Sunday, looking to finish off the revenge tour after avenging their losses to UCLA and Michigan State on Friday and Saturday.
Michigan opened its Big Ten Tournament against the Purdue Boilermakers on Friday, cruising by in an 86-68 win thanks to a strong all-around performance from forward Danny Wolf, who had 18 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists in the win.
Back in the first meeting between the two teams, Wisconsin lost a three-point game at the Kohl Center, struggling to finish by not scoring over the final 2:37 as Michigan came from behind to win.
Both teams are different at this stage of the season. Can Wisconsin complete the revenge tour and get their 27th win of the season?
Let’s see all the odds for the game.
Opening Odds
Spread: Wisconsin -3.5
Over/under points: 149.5 points
Channel: CBS/Paramount+
Time: 2:30 p.m. Central
