Wisconsin Badgers
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Five Things to Know: UW at Washington
February 27, 2026 | Men's Basketball
Badgers look to split west coast trip
MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin men’s basketball team looks to get back in the win column at Washington on Saturday at the Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle.
The Badgers fell to Oregon in Eugene on Wednesday, 85-71, despite 22 points on six triples from John Blackwell.
Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. CT. Fans at home can watch on FS1 as Carlo Jimmenz and Matt Muehlebach have the call, or listen to Matt Lepay and Brian Butch on the Badger Radio Network.
Here are five things to know.
LAY OF THE LAND
UW (19-9, 11-6 Big Ten) sit sixth in the Big Ten standings, two games back from the triple-bye fourth-place position. As it stands, UW would begin the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday, March 12, needing one more win to clinch said scenario. The Badgers sit 34th, overall, in the NET ratings, a key analytic used for NCAA seeding. However, Bucky ranks stronger than most of its NET neighbors in the Wins Above Bubble rating, ranking 30th in the country. That metric, including UW’s five Quadrant I wins, has UW as a current No. 6 seed across all major bracketologists.
NOT JUST A SCORER
While typically scoring in bunches for the Badgers, Nick Boyd has flashed his playmaking point guard ability over the last week. The New York native has a 17-3 assist-turnover ratio in his last two games, including a double-double of 27 points and 10 assists against Iowa on Sunday. Boyd continued his double digit scoring streak against Oregon with 11 points, continuing to reach the 10-plus mark in every game this season - only three other Big Ten players can make that claim.
AGAINST WASHINGTON
Wisconsin will tip off in Washington for the first time since 1955. The Badgers took their first Big Ten meeting last season in a rout at the Kohl Center, 88-62. John Blackwell notched his first career double-double with a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds.
The Huskies (14-14, 6-11 Big Ten) come into Saturday in 12th in the conference, winning two of their last three contests. They split their recent east coast road trip 1-1, falling to Maryland before winning 79-72 at Rutgers on Tuesday. German forward Hannes Steinbach leads the Washington charge, averaging 18 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. He leads the Big Ten with 17 double-doubles, with UW’s own Nolan Winter in second with 12.
CALLING ALL FANS IN SEATTLE
Wisconsin Athletics will be hosting a pregame fan event in Seattle, starting at 10 a.m. PT at Shultzy’s. It’s a free event open to all Badger fans. Fans will be in charge of their own food and beverage, though select free giveaways will be available while supplies last. The event will conclude around noon PT so fans have time to walk over to the Alaska Airlines Arena for tipoff. Read more here.
THANK YOU, SENIORS!
Wisconsin returns home on Wednesday for the home regular season finale, accompanied by Senior Night. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m., but Senior Day festivities will begin pregame, so fans should get to the Kohl Center early. UW will honor Isaac Gard, Nick Boyd, Andrew Rohde and Braeden Carrington for their success and dedication to the program. Tickets are available on UWBadgers.com. Fans who can’t make it to Madison can tune into FS1. The Badgers will conclude the regular season on the following Saturday with a trip to No. 8 Purdue.
