Starting Five: NIT quarterfinals | Wisconsin Badgers

NIT – QUARTERFINALS

WISCONSIN vs OREGON
Tuesday | 8 p.m. CT | ESPN | Eugene, Ore.

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MADISON, Wis. – After a pair of home wins, Wisconsin will make its first appearance in the NIT quarterfinals when it travels to Oregon for a game Tuesday. Tip is at 8 p.m. (CT) on ESPN.

If the Badgers defeat Oregon, they would punch their ticket to the semifinals in Las Vegas. Games at the Orleans Arena are March 28 and 30.

Before Tuesday’s tip, here is the Starting Five:

1. NIT ROUND 2 RECAP: Wisconsin earned a 75-71 win over Liberty in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament on Sunday afternoon at the Kohl Center. Chucky Hepburn scored a career-high 27 points, going 9-for-11 from the free throw line. Tyler Wahl scored 16 points and Steven Crowl added 14 points.

2. HEPBURN RISING: Hepburn scored a career-high 27 points against Liberty, shooting 9-for-20 from the floor. He made a career-best nine free throws in the contest. The sophomore point guard has scored in double figures in 22 of 33 games this season, and 34 times total in his career. He leads Wisconsin averaging 2.9 assists per game, maintaining a 1.98 assist-to-turnover ratio (95 assists to 48 turnovers).

3. KLUTCH KLESMIT: Max Klesmit came up clutch down the stretch for UW on Sunday, scoring all seven of his points in the final 2:09 of the game. That included the lone 3-pointer of the day for the Badgers, plus two huge free throws with six seconds remaining in the game to put Wisconsin up by four.

4. SERIES AGAINST OREGON: Wisconsin leads the all-time series against Oregon, 5-3. The last time the two teams met was 2019, with the Ducks winning 72-54. The last time Wisconsin earned a win against Oregon was the 2015 season, earning a 72-65 win over the Ducks in the third round of the NCAA tournament. In the postseason, UW leads the all-time series, 2-1.

5. TEAM SEND-OFF EVENT: For Wisconsin fans in the Eugene, Oregon area or attending the game, fans are invited to help send off the Badgers at the team hotel on Tuesday prior to the game. Bucky Badger, the UW Band and UW Spirit Squad will be in attendance. Fans are encouraged to meet us at The Gordon Hotel at 3:50 p.m. PT to cheer on the Badgers as they leave for the game.