March Madness Brings Challenges For Badgers, Golden Eagles

March Madness kicks off Thursday and two Wisconsin teams are competing in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament: the University of Wisconsin-Madison Badgers and the Marquette Golden Eagles.

It’s the Badgers 19th straight tournament appearance. The team finished the season second in the Big Ten and second in the Big Ten Conference championship, falling to Michigan 71-56.

This week, there was a lot of talk about whether or not Wisconsin was snubbed with a No. 8 seed tournament placement and a Thursday night game in Buffalo, New York.

“My theory, you have to beat everybody anyway to win the whole thing. So as long as you can get in the brackets and the big party and the big dance, just win. Just beat everybody,” said Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Deputy Sports Editor Jeff Maillet.

“Ranking and seeding is very subjective. A lot of time goes into it,” he said. “The Badgers didn’t do favors early in season when they weren’t playing well. They basically played themselves out of playing (first-round regional games) in Milwaukee.”

Maillet adds that Wisconsin looked strong early in the Big Ten tournament, but were less impressive in the championship game.

Wisconsin plays No. 9 seed Virginia Tech Hokies in the first round of the tournament Thursday.

To beat the Hokies, Maillet said the Badgers will need to pick up the pace and move the ball more. He said some players, such as Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes, tend to hold onto the ball too long when they’re on the outside.

“But one of the advantages they have is that a lot of these guys have played in the Final Four the last few years,” said Maillet. “Look what they did last year against Xavier, they’ve been down this road before.”

In that 2016 game, seventh-seeded Wisconsin squeezed past second-seeded Xavier University with Koenig’s 3-pointer at the buzzer. The shot pushed the Badgers beyond a tied game to a 66-63 victory and a place in the Sweet 16.

If the Badgers win Thursday, they’ll likely face No. 1 seed Villanova in the second round Saturday.

This is the final road for four Wisconsin seniors and standout players: point guard Koenig, forward Hayes, guard Zak Showalter and forward Vitto Brown.

“They’ve definitely made an impact on and off the court,” Maillet said. “That’s the powerful thing about these athletes, plus, they’re able to people on social media.”

Koenig, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, made headlines this year for protesting against the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock. For years, Hayes has been challenging the NCAA on athlete pay and compensation. And on a lighter note, Brown has gotten attention for his singing, notably performing the National Anthem solo before Badgers games and also with his family group, Shades of Brown.

As for the No. 10 seed Marquette Golden Eagles, this is the first time they’ve played in the tournament since 2013. They’ll face No. 7 seed University of South Carolina in the first round Friday night in Greenville, South Carolina.

“I think (Marquette’s) outside shooting has been unbelievable,” Maillet said. “Most of the season, they’ve been in the top 10 for 3-point shooting. That’s a huge factor in so many games. You can be down 8 or 10 points, hit a couple 3-pointers, and you’re back in it.”

What the Golden Eagles have working against them, Maillet said, is their defense and rebounding. Plus, they don’t have a deep bench.

“But, they have some really great athletes and shooters. (Andrew) Rowsey, the transfer, has come in, and the freshman, Markus Howard, have really stepped in to those roles and played very well this year,” he said.

Marquette has a pretty young team, with only two seniors leaving the team this year: guard JaJuan Johnson and center Luke Fischer. No one on the team, except for graduate transfer Katin Reinhardt, has ever made it to the tournament. That lack of experience and nerves could impact how well the team plays.

Maillet seems to think that the fact Marquette is playing the Gamecocks in South Carolina shouldn’t have too big of an impact on the game and its results.

“South Carolina, to me, doesn’t jump out with a huge fan base,” Maillet said. “Marquette has proven that they can play well on the road. Plus, Marquette fans can travel well.”

Marquette plays at 8:50 p.m. central time Friday. The game will air on TBS.

Wisconsin plays Virginia Tech at 8:40 p.m. central time Thursday. The game will air on CBS.

Two Wisconsin teams will be competing in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. Tune into “All Things Considered” Thursday afternoon as WPR explores UW-Green Bay’s and Marquette University’s chances in the tournament.