Wisconsin (19-14) vs. Oregon (21-14)

Game: Tuesday, March 21 inside Matthew Knight Arena

Time: 8:00 P.M. CT

Watch: ESPN/ESPN+

Listen: 1310 WIBA AM and 101.5 FM (Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas on the call); stream online on iHeartRadio

Prediction: Oregon 71, Wisconsin 64

Follow Online: The Badgers' Den

Twitter: @Badger_Blitz

Betting Line: Oregon -4.5

Wisconsin finally strung together consecutive victories for the first time since Jan. 3, beating Liberty and advancing to the NIT quarterfinals where the Oregon Ducks await in Eugene.

Oregon, the top seed in the Badgers' "region" of the NIT, is coming off a manhandling of Central Florida. The top story for the Ducks, however, is the health of several of their key players.

Center N'Faly Dante, Oregon's leading scorer, is a massive question mark for Tuesday. He's reportedly getting treatment for his injured ankle two-to-three times a day. Regardless, the Ducks have been just fine without Dante, as backup center Nate Bittle has posted 17 and 21 points in the first and second rounds of the NIT, respectively.

Point guard Will Richardson hasn't played in the NIT either with an injured hip. As a very willing three-point shooter who connects on 42.9 percent of his shots from the field, Richardson is dangerous. He also dishes out about five assists each game.

Jermaine Couisnard has also missed both of Oregon's NIT games. He's been a consistent starter for the Ducks since mid-January, but the junior Keeshawn Barthelemy has stepped up in his absence. If Couisnard can't go, Barthelemy looks primed to get his third straight start.

It's been an extremely up and down season for Oregon. It didn't string together more than three straight wins in the regular season, and the Ducks have lost games to UC-Irvine and Utah Valley. Then again, they boast a very efficient offense that scores 71 points-per-game, while only allowing 56 points on average. The Ducks aren't an elite, or even good, at the three ball, but they do connect on 53.1 percent of their two-point attempts.

What's more, Oregon has rolled through the first two rounds of the NIT with a depleted lineup. The Ducks had a critical three-game loosing stretch in February that likely cost them an NCAA Tournament bid. In their last seven games, however, the Ducks are 6-1, with their only loss coming to the buzzsaw that is the UCLA Bruins in the second round of the Pac-12 tournament.

With Oregon's starting five a complete mystery at the time of publishing, it's hard to predict what matchups Wisconsin will elect to try to exploit. Against the undersized Liberty Flames, the Badgers' guards got downhill and got to their spots in the paint when Steven Crowl was in foul trouble. The Ducks have the height to make that a much more imposing task for Wisconsin.

If Dante can play, his matchup with Crowl should be very entertaining. Crowl has asserted himself in the NIT, dropping a career-high 36 points in the first round and dominating inside against Liberty, only to get called for a technical that would limit his impact in the second round. Dante, meanwhile, is a highly efficient center that can take over the low post.

Chucky Hepburn is also coming off a career-high 27 points, despite not hitting a three in the win over Liberty. With both Crowl and Hepburn notching career-highs in the two NIT games, the Badgers are still finding ways to get better and develop late into March.

Oregon should pose a tough challenge for Wisconsin. They can score, apparently with whatever lineup they trot out. They play solid defense — they're top 25 nationally in both block percentage and opposing two-point percentage. The Badgers will need a very sound performance on both ends if they want to advance to Las Vegas for the semifinals.

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