Wisconsin to play Illinois in first round of Big Ten Tournament
March 01, 2026 | Women's Basketball
Badgers open conference tournament play against the Fighting Illini
MADISON, Wis. -Â The Wisconsin women's basketball team (#15 seed)Â will open play at the Big Ten Tournament against the Illinois Fighting Illini (#10 seed)Â on Wednesday, February 4, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Tip-off is scheduled for approximately 25 minutes following the 2:30 p.m. CT game.
The Badgers and Illini met earlier this season in Champaign, where Illinois secured a 92-60 win. The game will mark the eighth all-time meeting between the programs in Big Ten Tournament play, with Wisconsin holding a 2-5 record in those contests (2001, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2020, 2021 and 2022).
Wisconsin enters the tournament with a 15-32 all-time record and has earned the No. 15 seed for the first time in program history. The Badgers' best tournament finishes came in 2002, 2009 and 2010, advancing to the semifinals each time. UW was the No. 6 seed in 2002 and reached the semifinals as a No. 7 seed in both 2009 and 2010.
The complete 2026 Allstate Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, March 4 – First Round
Game 1 | #12 Nebraska vs. #13 Indiana | 2:30 p.m. CT | Peacock
Game 2 | #10 Illinois vs. #15 Wisconsin | 25 minutes following Game 1 | Peacock
Game 3 | #11 Oregon vs. #14 Purdue | 25 minutes following Game 2 | Peacock
Thursday, March 5 – Second Round
Game 4 | #8 Washington vs. #9 USC | 11 a.m. CT | BTN
Game 5 | #5 Ohio State vs. G1 Winner | 25 minutes following Game 4 | BTN
Game 6 | #7 Michigan State vs. G2 Winner | 5:30 p.m. CT | BTN
Game 7 | #6 Maryland vs. G3 Winner | 25 minutes following Game 6 | BTN
Friday, March 6 – Quarterfinals
Game 8 | #1 UCLA vs. G4 Winner | 11 a.m. CT | BTN
Game 9 | #4 Minnesota vs. G5 Winner | 25 minutes following Game 8 | BTN
Game 10 | #2 Iowa vs. G6 Winner | 5:30 p.m. CT | BTN
Game 11 | #3 Michigan vs. G7 Winner | 25 minutes following Game 10 | BTN
Saturday, March 7 – Semifinals
Game 12 | G8 Winner vs. G9 Winner | 1 p.m. CT | BTN
Game 13 | G10 Winner vs. G11 Winner | 3:30 p.m. CT | BTN
Sunday, March 8 – Championship
Game 14 | G12 Winner vs. G13 Winner | 1:15 p.m. CT | CBS
NOTES: All times listed are Central Time (one hour behind local site time), approximate and subject to change. BTN games are also available on the FOX Sports app. CBS games can be streamed on Paramount+ and are available on CBSSports.com and CBS Sports HQ. For more information, visit the tournament central page at bigten.org/WBBT.
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