WASHINGTON _ Northwestern, vying for the first NCAA Tournament berth in program history, entered Day 4 of the Big Ten tournament as one three feel-good stories left in the field.
Wisconsin, the highest remaining seed at No. 2, was the forgotten semifinalist.
Greg Gard's players reminded the Wildcats and the rest of the Big Ten that UW can be a formidable foe when it marries defensive intensity with offensive efficiency.
The Badgers rocked Northwestern early with a double-digit lead and never trailed in a stunning 76-48 victory Saturday at the Verizon Center.
UW (25-8) avenged a home loss to Northwestern and reached the tournament championship game for the second time in three seasons.
The Badgers play at 2 p.m. Sunday against No. 8 Michigan (23-11), an 84-77 winner over No. 4 Minnesota earlier Saturday.
Derrick Walton Jr. had 29 points, nine assists, five rebounds, two steals and just one turnover for the Wolverines, who split their two regular-season games with UW.
Northwestern (23-11) is projected to receive an at-large bid and participate in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.
As they did in their quarterfinal victory over Indiana, the Badgers got contributions from up and down the lineup.
Senior Nigel Hayes recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. He hit 2 of 2 3-point attempts and 7 of 11 shots overall and teamed with Ethan Happ to pound away at the Wildcats inside.
Happ finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. He hit 4 of 6 field-goal attempts and, remarkably, 8 of 11 free throws. Happ came in 2 of 15 from the free-throw line in UW's previous four games and was shooting 47.8 percent this season.
Zak Showalter was fabulous. The senior guard harassed Northwestern's Bryant McIntosh and contributed 10 points and two assists.
Vitto Brown hit 2 of 5 3-pointers and contributed eight points and eight rebounds. His activity on the glass was contagious.
Senior guard Bronson Koenig finished with just eight points but they all came in the first 7 minutes, 1 second as UW built a 15-3 lead it never lost.
Freshman guard D'Mitrik Trice had six points and three assists.
The Badgers were without sophomore Khalil Iverson (3.8 points per game, 3.1 rebounds per game). According to a UW official, Iverson flew home to Ohio late Friday because of a death in the family.
Northwestern shot 45.7 percent from 3-point range (16 of 35) and 57.7 percent overall (56 of 97) in its first two tournament games, victories over Rutgers and Maryland.
The Wildcats struggled against UW's defense Saturday and finished 3 of 14 from 3-point range (21.4 percent) and 18 of 52 overall (34.6 percent).
McIntosh hit 10 of 23 shots and recorded 25 points and seven assists in the first meeting with UW. Showalter, with help from Jordan Hill, helped limit McIntosh to 4-of-12 shooting and eight points.
UW was by far the better team on both ends of the court in the first 20 minutes and didn't let up.
The Badgers' dominance started on the defensive end and Northwestern rarely got an uncontested shot.
The Wildcats made 1 of 6 3-point attempts (1 of 6) and 7 of 27 shots overall (25.9 percent).
The Badgers raced to a 15-3 lead in the first 7:01 as Koenig scored eight, Hayes added seven and the Wildcats missed their first seven shots before McIntosh hit a floater with 15:11 left in the half.
Northwestern had put together devastating scoring runs against Rutgers and Maryland to reach the semifinals.
The Wildcats gradually fought back and pulled to within 16-12 on Vic Law's basket with 9:34 left.
UW had an immediate response.
Showalter buried a 3-pointer to spark a 15-5 run as UW pushed the lead back to double digits, 31-17. Showalter had eight points in the run and Hayes had a basket and made 1 of 2 free throws.
With Happ and Hayes pounding away on the inside to account for seven more points, UW took a 38-21 lead into the locker room.
Northwestern, which overcame a 10-point deficit in the second half to upset Maryland, could do nothing against UW.
The teams traded baskets early in the half before Law scored to pull Northwestern to within 15 at 48-33.
Northwestern had a chance to spark its crowd after a UW turnover, but McIntosh missed an open 3-pointer in transition. The lead was still 15 when Gavin Skelly missed an open 3-pointer.
UW finally put on the afterburners to eliminate any doubt.
Brown, seconds after throwing the ball away, buried a 3-pointer from the key for a 51-33 lead with 13:34 left.
That started a 13-2 run during which Brown scored six points, Trice hit a 3-pointer, Showalter had a basket and a steal and Happ finished in the lane off a feed from Trice.
The lead was 61-35 with 9:38 left and the game was over.
