Wisconsin Vs Oregon: Badgers head to Eugene seeking back-to-back wins
MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin men’s basketball team hits the road for its annual west coast trip for a Wednesday meeting at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, billed as wisconsin vs oregon. Tipoff is set for 10 p. m. CT (11 p. m. ET), and the game will be carried on the Big Ten Network with Guy Haberman and Don MacLean on the call; listeners can hear Matt Lepay and Brian Butch on the Badger Radio Network.
Badgers riding momentum from an 84-71 win over Iowa
Wisconsin enters the matchup at 19-8 overall and 11-5 in Big Ten play after racing by Iowa, 84-71, on Sunday at the Kohl Center. The Badgers trailed by as many as nine in the first half and were down by 1 at intermission before rallying to win. That victory improved Wisconsin to 5-7 in games in which it trailed at halftime. Wisconsin’s 84 points were the most any team has scored against Iowa this year and came against a defense ranked 34th in the country. It marked the 17th game this season in which UW eclipsed 80 points, and the Badgers are now 17-0 in those contests.
Nick Boyd’s all-around night and Austin Rapp’s bench punch
Nick Boyd led the charge with 27 points, 9 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists, finishing one rebound shy of what would have been the school’s fourth-ever triple-double. Boyd is averaging 20. 6 points per game, sitting third in the Big Ten, and has produced 17 20-point performances this season, second in the conference behind Northwestern’s Nick Martinelli. Off the bench, sophomore Austin Rapp scored 14 points and sank four three-pointers on Sunday. Wisconsin is now 10-0 in games where Rapp finishes with more than 10 points; he has hit four or more triples five times this year and is averaging 14. 5 points across his last four outings, making just over three triples per game in that stretch.
Oregon’s recent form and frontcourt threats
Oregon comes into Wednesday’s contest at 10-17 overall and 3-13 in Big Ten play, having won two of their last three games. The Ducks earned their first Quadrant I victory on Saturday with a 71-70 win over USC in Los Angeles. Center Nate Bittle carries Oregon’s offensive load, averaging 16. 7 points and 7 rebounds per game. His frontcourt mate Kwame Evans Jr. has lifted his numbers to 12. 9 points and 7. 2 boards.
How the series has played out recently
The Badgers and Ducks have met twice in the last three seasons, once in Madison and once in Eugene. Their inaugural Big Ten meeting came last year at the Kohl Center, where Wisconsin fell 77-73 in overtime; John Tonje led Wisconsin with 22 points in that game. Two years earlier, Wisconsin topped Oregon at Matthew Knight Arena in the NIT Semifinals, 61-58. Wednesday will mark only the third time Wisconsin has played in Eugene — the other matchup in Eugene came on Nov. 24, 1990, a 72-70 Badger win.
Remaining west coast dates and a Seattle fan event
Wisconsin will close the west coast trip on Saturday against Washington; tipoff is set for 3 p. m. CT (4 p. m. ET / 1 p. m. PT). It will be UW’s first contest at Washington since 1955. Wisconsin Athletics is hosting a pregame fan event in Seattle starting at 10 a. m. PT (1 p. m. ET) at Shultzy’s. The event is free and open to all Badger fans; attendees are responsible for their own food and beverage. Select free giveaways will be available while supplies last. The event will conclude around noon PT (3 p. m. ET) so fans have time to walk to Alaska Airlines Arena for tipoff.
Tipoff for the Wisconsin trip-opener in Eugene remains 10 p. m. CT (11 p. m. ET) at Matthew Knight Arena.
