Wisconsin Vs Washington: Five things to know for UW at Washington
The Wisconsin men’s basketball team heads to Seattle after an 85-71 loss to Oregon, setting up a matchup that matters for postseason positioning in the final regular-season stretch. The game against Washington is a chance for Wisconsin to strengthen its NCAA standing and clinch a preferred starting slot in the conference tournament; the matchup is listed below as wisconsin vs washington with tipoff converted to Eastern Time.
Matchup: wisconsin vs washington
Tipoff is set for 4: 00 p. m. ET on Saturday, converted from a 3: 00 p. m. CT start. The Badgers enter this contest after the loss to Oregon, a game in which John Blackwell scored 22 points on six three-pointers. Wisconsin sits at 19-9 overall and 11-6 in conference play, positioned sixth in the standings and two games behind the fourth-place spot that carries a triple-bye in the conference tournament.
Wisconsin Vs Washington stakes
The result has direct implications: Wisconsin would begin the conference tournament on Thursday, March 12 if it secures one more win to clinch the preferred scenario. Wisconsin ranks 34th in the NET ratings and 30th in the Wins Above Bubble metric, a projection that currently places the program near a No. 6 seed in bracket projections. A Quad 1 win here would be a meaningful boost after the recent road loss.
Key players and form to watch
For Wisconsin, Nick Boyd has shown recent playmaking form, posting a 17-3 assist-to-turnover ratio across his last two games and producing a double-double of 27 points and 10 assists in the meeting with Iowa. Boyd extended his streak of double-digit scoring with 11 points against Oregon, remaining one of only a handful of conference players to reach 10-plus points in every game this season.
Washington arrives at 14-14 overall and 6-11 in conference play, having won two of its last three. German forward Hannes Steinbach is the primary matchup problem for the Badgers, averaging 18 points and 11. 1 rebounds per game and leading the conference with 17 double-doubles. Washington’s recent form includes a road win at Rutgers and a split on a recent east-coast trip.
Logistics, fan events and schedule notes
The team will be playing at the Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle for the first time since 1955. A pregame fan event hosted by the program is scheduled to start at 1: 00 p. m. ET (10: 00 a. m. PT) and is expected to conclude around 3: 00 p. m. ET (noon PT) so attendees can walk to the arena for tipoff. The event is free and open to fans, with select giveaways available while supplies last; attendees are responsible for their own food and beverages.
- Betting line indicator: Wisconsin entered the game as a narrow favorite, with a 1. 5-point edge in pregame listings.
Wisconsin returns home for its regular-season finale and Senior Night, with tipoff set for 7: 00 p. m.; the program will honor seniors Isaac Gard, Nick Boyd, Andrew Rohde and Braeden Carrington during pregame festivities. The Badgers conclude the regular season with a trip the following Saturday to face a high-ranked conference opponent.
Forward look: a win in Seattle would secure the specific conference-tournament start the team is currently projected to reach, while a loss would leave those scenarios unresolved. On-court matchups to follow include Wisconsin’s interior work against Steinbach and continued ball protection and playmaking from Boyd as determinative factors for the final result.
