Previewing UCLA-Wisconsin Big Ten Quarterfinal Matchup

The UCLA Bruins will face the Wisconsin Badgers in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament Friday, seeking to win their first-ever game in this conference tournament.

Mar 5, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard reacts during the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (22-9, 13-7) are slated to face the No. 5 seed Wisconsin Badgers (24-8, 13-7) for the upcoming Quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis, Ind., this weekend. They will tip off at 2:30 p.m. ET on Friday.

The Badgers earned a 70-63 win over the No. 13 seed Northwestern Wildcats on Thursday afternoon, advancing to face the Bruins as one of the final eight teams left in the conference tournament. They were one of the three teams that got bounced out of a double bye due to the Bruins tiebreaker win.

Wisconsin senior guard John Tonje and sophomore forward Nolan Winter led the squad with 18 points each, with Tonje earning a team-high seven rebounds and two steals. Senior guard Max Klesmit finished with 9 points, while sophomore guard John Blackwell notched 8.

These two teams faced one during the regular season, with the Bruins earning one of their five ranked wins of the season by gutting out an 85-83 shootout victory at Pauley Pavilion in late January. It was sophomore center Aday Mara's breakout game, leading UCLA with a career-high 22 points.

The Badgers are one of the higher-scoring teams in the conference and will expectedly put up a high total even against the Bruins' top Big Ten defense. UCLA may have to follow the blueprint from the original meeting of the year and try to outscore the Badgers once again.

Mara will be relied on heavily to control the post while being a shutdown rim protector. The beef of the scoring will have to come from junior forward Tyler Bilodeau and sophomore forward Eric Dailey Jr., the two top scorers all season for the Bruins.

If the Bruins find a win, they will advance to the Semifinal round to face either the No. 1 seed Michigan State Spartans (26-5, 17-3) or the No. 8 Oregon Ducks (24-8, 12-8) on Saturday afternoon. The Bruins are 3-0 this season against those two teams during the regular season this year.

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