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The No. 5 seed Wisconsin Badgers defeated the No. 12 seed Washington Huskies 85-82 on Thursday, escaping a huge collapse down the stretch to advance to the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals on Friday against the No. 4 seed Illinois Fighting Illini.
It was a game where the Badgers looked in control for the most part, even leading by 18 with 13 minutes left in the game. But Washington had a strong comeback effort and nearly pulled off the upset, taking things all the way to the final buzzer.
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Here are three quick takeaways from Wisconsin’s close win over Washington on Thursday.
Fast starts
The Badgers beat the Huskies handily in their first matchup, thanks to a stellar start to the game. Despite being on the road, the Badgers cruised to a 17-4 start and ultimately led 36-21 at halftime. In the second half, that lead ballooned up to 26 with 8:16 to go, and they ultimately won 90-73.
On Thursday, it was a similar story for the Badgers, who got out to an 11-2 lead over the first 5:23. John Blackwell got things going with a three, but it was points off turnovers that proved to be key early for the Badgers. Wisconsin got six early points off turnovers, a three from Nick Boyd and an and-1 from Will Garlock, to extend their lead to 9-2. Another Boyd bucket got that lead up to nine.
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Two minutes later, it was 17-5 Badgers following threes from Boyd and Braeden Carrington. When the Badgers get off to hot starts like Thursday’s, they’re able to withstand scoring lulls and show how dominant they can be.
As the Badgers went on a lull, Washington did cut the lead back to four with under five minutes left in the period. But a strong finish to the half put them up 10 at the break, as they finished things on an 8-2 run.
In the second half, Wisconsin’s offense came to play, scoring 15 points in the first 4:22 as they extended their lead to 13. While Washington was hitting shots and the Badgers had a few defensive miscues, Wisconsin continued to maintain its advantage,…
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Publish date : 2026-03-12 20:56:00
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