Wisconsin basketball lost its first game since the start of February this past Saturday, as the Oregon Ducks pulled off a major late-game comeback to notch a 77-73 overtime victory. It wasn’t the prettiest game for the Badgers, who only capitalized on 25% of their three-point attempts and turned the ball over a season-high seventeen times.
Head coach Greg Gard and company will look to bounce back on Tuesday night when they host the Washington Huskies. Washington, coached by first-year head coach Danny Sprinkle, hasn’t had the ideal debut season in the Big Ten — it ranks dead last in the conference standings. That standing is especially important this season, as only 15 of the 18 teams will make the Big Ten Tournament field.
Washington is led by Utah State transfer Great Osobor, who followed Sprinkle from Logan to Seattle. He hasn’t lived up to expectations this year and has seen a considerable dip in efficiency from the field, going from 57% in 2023-2024 to 47% in 2024-2025.
With the first conference matchup between the Badgers and Huskies approaching fast, here are three keys to Wisconsin pulling off a bounce-back win:
Wisconsin must have improved defense in the paint
Washington only attempts 20.2 three-point shots per game, which ranks 281st in the nation. It’s safe to say that the Huskies will be trying to score a majority of their field goals from two and inside the paint. Wisconsin struggled to defend Oregon Nate Bittle in the second half on Saturday, which allowed Oregon to come back from the fourteen-point deficit in the final six minutes of the game and win it in overtime.
The Badgers need to bring their A-game defensively to this matchup and specifically make sure to keep Washington from getting good looks inside. As a team, the Huskies are shooting 35% from three, so they are more than capable of making shots from the outside. Generally, focusing on outside shooting is not their typical game plan. If Wisconsin had to choose, it would make more sense for it to force Washington to make threes rather than giving them easier looks inside. Expect Steven Crowl and Nolan Winter to have their work cut out for them as they try to improve on the defensive miscues from Saturday’s game.
Wisconsin must force turnovers
Wisconsin will need to attack passing lanes and ball handlers in this matchup defensively. Washington ranks 17th out of 18 Big Ten teams in turnover percentage. Washington forward Great Osobor averages nearly 3.5 turnovers per game just himself. It’s been a clear weakness for this Huskies team all season — the Badgers will need to capitalize. Wisconsin has excelled in transition this season more than ever before, so forcing Washington to turn the ball over would be a good way to start hot and build a big lead.
Stick to the traditional offensive game plan; don’t change anything
It became an issue in the second half of the Oregon game when Wisconsin reverted to its offense from 2023-24 and years past, with fewer ball screens and movement and more challenging isolation looks. Washington isn’t impressive defensively, meaning that the Badgers should look to get back to their normal form and stick to what has worked offensively all season long. The team can’t settle for bad shots and should take as many good looks from three as possible.
Score Prediction
Wisconsin has done a fairly good job this season at bouncing back after losses. Expect them to do the same here against a Washington team that doesn’t have a ton to play for and hasn’t made much noise in Big Ten play.
Final Prediction: Wisconsin 87, Washington 68
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin basketball vs Washington game preview keys score prediction
