February 24, 2026; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Washington Huskies forward Hannes Steinbach (6) looks at the goal while Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Darren Buchanan Jr. (5) defends during the first half at Jersey Mike’s Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Now is the time of the season to move toward a long-term NCAA Tournament run rather than a one-off tournament.
Wisconsin’s 85-71 loss at Oregon on Wednesday night suggested the team was headed down the wrong path as March approached. They will look for a new direction Saturday when they visit Seattle for a Big Ten Conference matchup with Washington.
The Badgers (19-9, 11-6 Big Ten) had a poor defense that allowed the Ducks to make 70.8% of their field goals in the second half. They didn’t score at their normal efficiency on offense either, connecting on just 22 of 66 field goal attempts and 14 of 45 3-pointers.
It was Wisconsin’s second straight-road junker. An 86-69 loss at Ohio State on February 17th saw them fall behind 38-26 at halftime and allow the Buckeyes to shoot 31 of 57 (54.4%) from the floor.
“If he keeps playing like that, he’s not going to play long,” Badgers coach Greg Gard said.
Nick Boyd leads Wisconsin in scoring (20.2 ppg) and assists (3.9), while John Blackwell adds 18.7 ppg and Nolan Winter supplies 13.5 ppg to go along with a team-high 8.7 rebounds.
As the Badgers try to improve their defense, the Huskies (14-14, 6-11) cruised to a 79-72 win at Rutgers on Tuesday night behind Hannes Steinbach’s 24 points and 16 rebounds. It was the third time the star freshman collected 16 boards, but the first since early December.
It was Steinbach’s 17th double-double of the year, tied for third in Division I and the most among major conference players. His next game will tie former Ohio State star Jared Sullinger for the most by a Big Ten freshman since 1996-97.
On the season, Steinbach is averaging 18 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, the latter tied for fourth in Division I. No freshman in school history has recorded more double-doubles in a season.
In the eyes of Washington coach Danny Sprinkle, the victory was big.
“I’m so proud of these guys. They came together in the fight after a tough loss,” Sprinkle said on his post-fight radio show. “This has nothing to do with coaching. I wish I could take credit for that. … We’ve had so many great performances.”
Zoom Diallo adds 14.7 points and 4.3 assists per game while Wesley Yates III pitches 13.4 ppg. Yates has 19 points and six assists for Rutgers. The assists represent a new career high.
–Field level media
