After missing the NCAA Tournament last season, Wisconsin basketball is back in the big dance. The Badgers received a 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament yesterday. They will take on 12 seed James Madison out of the Sun Belt conference. That game will be Friday night at 8:50 PM in Brooklyn.
Wisconsin basketball is in the South region, as is Marquette. The 1 seed is Houston. It’s a difficult region for the Badgers, but here are my initial thoughts on Wisconsin basketball’s seeding and path.
James Madison is Not a Great Draw, but Not a Bad Draw
This will be a classic 5-12 battle where picking the 12th seed Dukes will be a popular pick. I thought after Wisconsin basketball beat Purdue Saturday that they would hop off the six line and to a five seed. Anytime you are the five seed, you will likey have to face on of the top mid majors in the NCAA Tournament.
James Madison is gong to give Wisconsin fits, particularly their athletics and speed. They want this to be a high scoring game where they on and runs and have no problem giving up runs. I expect this to be a high scoring game. The Dukes was one of the teams I did not want the Badgers to see. I thought McNeese was the one mid major that would likely beat Wisconsin. They are a 12 seed, but face Gonzaga.
A Potential Re-Match With Duke?
In no way does Wisconsin basketball want to look past James Madison. On the other hand, I as a fan can look ahead. The 4-13 matchup in Wisconsin’s region is Duke and Vermont. I would not sleep on Vermont as they are familiar with the NCAA Tournament. It will be no easy game for the Blue Devils either.
Should the Badgers and the Blue Devils win Friday, it would be a re-match of the 2015 NCAA Championship. It would also be the first time these two teams played each other since that game. None of these players on either team were a part of it, but I’m sure it’s something the coaches think about. It would be an intriguing battle on Sunday.
Wisconsin Basketball Has a Decent Path to the Sweet 16
I know it feels like I have been talking about how hard this region is for the Badgers, but I actually think Wisconsin basketball has a decent road to the Sweet 16. James Madison will be a tough game, but of this team plays the way they did in Minneapolis, they will make it to the Sweet 16. I love the way Chucky Hepburn and Steven Crowl are playing, There is not much height on James Madison’s roster. If Crowl can keep his hot streak going, there is no reason he can’t have a great game Friday night.
Duke and Vermont are good teams, but they’re not great teams. In particular, this Duke team does not strike the fear the recent coach K teams did. I’m not saying this Wisconsin basketball team strike fear either, but they have some really nice momentum coming into this week, which is exactly how you want to be playing right now.
I would not be shocked if the Wisconsin basketball season ended Friday. I would also not be shocked if they get a crack at Houston next weekend.
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