After edging out UW-River Falls at home in the quarterfinals of the WIAC Basketball Tournament, 69-67, the Warhawks now go on the road to face the second-seeded UW-La Crosse on Wednesday night. Although the UW-La Crosse Eagles have a good shot at making the NCAA Tournament as it is, the Warhawks likely need to win the WIAC Tournament to go dancing this season.
With so much at stake, including a berth to the championship game, this game will certainly provide some fireworks.
UW-Whitewater vs UW-La Crosse WIAC Basketball Tournament Prediction
2023 WIAC Basketball Tournament
UW-Whitewater Warhawks (19-7, 9-5 WIAC) vs. UW-La Crosse Eagles (19-6, 10-4 WIAC)
Date: Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Time: 8 PM EST
Venue: Mitchell Hall Gymnasium — La Crosse, WI
Coverage: WIAC Network
RELATED | UW-Eau Claire vs UW-Oshkosh WIAC Basketball Tournament Preview
UW-Whitewater vs UW-La Crosse WIAC Basketball Trends
- UW-Whitewater is 1-1 against UW-La Crosse this season.
- UW-Whitewater is 5-1 in their last six games.
- UW-La Crosse is 4-2 in their last six games.
- UW-Oshkosh has scored 70+ points in their last six games.
UW-Whitewater vs UW-La Crosse Prediction
In the first WIAC basketball matchup for these two teams this season, the Eagles blitzed the Warhawks on the road, 88-74. The Eagles had 19 points off of turnovers and 19 second-chance points as well. Austin Westra led the way for La Crosse with 21 points. Ethan Anderson and Henry Noone each contributed 15 points of their own.
In their second matchup in late January, the Warhawks went on the road and got revenge on the Eagles, 74-71. Miles Barnstable had 25 points and went a perfect 12/12 from the charity stripe, including a pair to put them up three with six seconds left. Four players scored double-digits for Whitewater, as they overcame a poor shooting night from deep to capture some momentum down the stretch.
Both teams have been solid as of late, and this game looks like it’ll come down to the wire once again. The road team has won both contests this season, but expect that to change. While the Warhawks shot just 21% from deep in their recent win over the Eagles, they received unsustainable production from their starters. With La Crosse’s offense rolling and Whitewater recently needing overtime to beat a lowly UW-Stout team, expect the Eagles to pull away down the stretch.
Prediction: UW-La Crosse-72, UW-Whitewater-63
