USC bubble watch: Wisconsin loss to Ohio State knocks Badgers out
The USC Trojans can take care of business and handle what they can control when they take the court on Thursday night in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals. If they win one game, they’re in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. However, if they lose, the other bubble results this week will shape the landscape and determine if the Trojans can fall far enough to not make the field.
Wednesday night, the Trojans got another very good result, and this one carries true finality.
Plenty of bubble results reduce the odds of a bubble team getting into the field, but that bubble team might have more chances at a later point. During the conference tournaments, however, losses often represent the end of the road for a bubble candidacy.
So it is with the Wisconsin Badgers. They lost to Ohio State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, as reported on by Badgers Wire:
“In the game, Chucky Hepburn (six points), Max Klesmit (two points), Steven Crowl (eight points) and Connor Essegian (11 points) struggled with their shot, going a combined 9-for-34 from the field (26.4%),” Nick Bruesewitz wrote.
“For the Buckeyes, Bruce Thornton (15 points), Justice Sueing (16 points) and Sean McNeil (17 points) led the way, combing to shoot 17-for-28 in the contest (60.7%).
“Now staring at a second consecutive season without a win in the Big Ten Tournament this year, the Badgers don’t have the luxury of having won the regular season conference title, nor do they have a top-tier player like Johnny Davis.”
Wisconsin is definitely out. Some teams’ candidacies can still be debated. Not this one. USC can cross one more team off the list.
Be sure to consult our bubble guide for all the main conference tournaments.
