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“I just know they’re good,” Ryan said. “They’re not No. 2 by accident.”
Trevon Hughes scored 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting against San Diego in the No. 25 Badgers’ 64-49 victory Sunday night.
“It’s going to be tough,” Hughes said.
The Badgers (4-0) will face Connecticut, a 76-63 winner over Miami, today in the championship game of the eight-team tournament.
Brandon Johnson led San Diego (2-2) with 19 points on 5-for-8 shooting from 3-point range. San Diego will play Miami in the third-place game.
Wisconsin, which needed overtime to beat Iona 60-58 in the first round, shot 48.8 percent, while holding the Toreros to 34.5 percent.
Keaton Nankivil scored 10 points, and Marcus Landry added nine points and seven rebounds for Wisconsin. The Badgers won the Paradise Jam title in their only previous appearance at the event in 2005.
“We found a groove and we stuck in the groove. And it paid off,” Landry said.
“They’re just a team that does not beat itself,” San Diego coach Bill Grier said.
“What Wisconsin does in they play their game and they’re not going to let anyone dictate to them.”
Wisconsin had a 34-29 rebounding advantage.
“We’ve just got to get the rebounds,” Johnson said.
