With the NCAA Tournament just over a week away for the Wisconsin Badgers, I want to examine this year’s squad, A-Z, to hit some of the highlights and try to make some sense out of things. We’ve gotten through Parts 1 and 2 of this series. Now, let’s finish things off with Part 3.
R is for Ready For Anything: The NCAA Tournament Committee has seemingly always been a bit rough on the Badgers. When they’re not being under-seeded, they might get shipped off to Denver to play BYU in a quasi-home game for the Cougs,
one of the hottest teams in the field. Gard’s crew would be best served by expecting shenanigans on Sunday evening.
S is for Seeding: Yes, I just advised that they need to be ready for anything, but favorable seeding is a good thing. A 6-seed is better than a 7-seed in most situations, as you get to avoid a 2-seed in round two.
So, here’s hoping the Committee rewards the Badgers with what most prognosticators think should be a 6 rather than where the NET Rankings, taken alone, would project them (currently a 7).
T is for Turnovers: The Badgers hold onto the ball so well (currently 8th in college basketball in turnover rate) that we take it for granted. But in Wisconsin’s worst showings this season, that number has generally ballooned (see at Ohio State, at Oregon).
Yes, 3-point shooting will be the biggest bellwether for Wisconsin, but limiting giveaways will be sneakily important.
U is for Unselfish: To be clear, selfish play hasn’t really been a thing for the Badgers this season, but it bears repeating that this squad has been at its best when its top two guys, John Blackwell and Nick Boyd, are both locked in and feeling it. There have been a few games where it hasn’t felt that way, but last Saturday at Purdue is a perfect example of just how good these two can be together.
V is for Vengeance: No, Wisconsin likely won’t face a team in this tournament that it lost to in ’25-26, but I’m speaking more generally: avenging years of tournament losses, and the disrespect/pointed criticism, especially from Badger fans, which has gone along with it. The best way to shut critics up is to take away their material. The Badgers getting to the second weekend in March Madness would do just that.
W is for Wisconsin Basketball: This is so wildly different from what it was just a few seasons ago, but in order to have success in the NCAA Tourney, the new look, high-scoring Badgers will need to play their game:
Outstanding floor spacing, good 3-point shooting, a pick-and-roll offense that’s humming, and just enough defense to keep opponents honest. This is easier said than done against good teams, but the Badgers proved they could do it against Michigan, Illinois, Michigan State, and Purdue, so why not in the NCAA Tournament?
X is for X-Factors: These are numerous, yet to be defined, and will shift from game to game, but can be things like match-ups, the type of defense being played, how high-end stars are defended, or coaching chess matches. I’m curious to see how these play out in actual games.
Y is for Yelling: All of us, from Greg Gard to the players to the fans in the stands to those watching on TV, are going to be hoarse in just over a week. Here’s to hoping that it’s the good kind of hoarse and that, by the end of March, Wisconsin fans have been yelling so much and so often that we have no voices left. That will mean the Badgers have played a lot of meaningful basketball.
Z is for Zero Sweet Sixteens Since 2017: It’s time for the Badgers to end this streak in style. Good luck to them and to you fans, too. Let’s have a March to remember.
