Wisconsin basketball still holds strong as a No. 3 seed in the latest NCAA Tournament bracket projections.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi updated his bracketology after the conclusion of the Big Ten Tournament semifinals on Saturday, contests that were won by Wisconsin and Michigan, respectively. Wisconsin is Lunardi’s No. 10 overall team and one of his top-ranked No. 3-seeds. If that standing holds, Wisconsin would begin its NCAA Tournament quest in nearby Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The Badgers are among the hottest teams in the sport. Their current Big Ten Tournament run now includes a 70-63 win over Northwestern (NCAA NET No. 53), 86-70 over UCLA (No. 27) and 77-74 over Michigan State (No. 11). The team has jumped to No. 14 in the NET in that time, improving to 8-7 in Quad 1 games and 10-1 vs. Quad 2.
Even with those wins, Wisconsin is unlikely to have a path to a No. 2 seed. Michigan State has a firm hold of one spot, St. John’s locked up another with its Big East Tournament title, then both Alabama and Tennessee boast far better resumes than the Badgers. Tennessee can also add to that already-impressive standing with an SEC Tournament title game win over Florida.
Wisconsin appears locked in as a No. 3 seed entering Sunday’s bracket reveal, regardless of the result of the Big Ten Tournament title game. The big outstanding question will be where the team plays its opening-round matchups.
Before the bracket is revealed on Sunday, here are Lunardi’s updated top four seed-lines.
- East: No. 1 Duke, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Iowa State, No. 4 Maryland
- West: No. 1 Florida, No. 2 St. John’s, No. 3 Texas Tech, No. 4 Michigan
- Midwest: No. 1 Houston, No. 2 Tennessee, No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 4 Texas A&M
- South: No. 1 Auburn, No. 2 Michigan State, No. 3 Kentucky, No. 4 Arizona
Wisconsin and Michigan will tip off at 3:30 p.m. ET, 2:30 p.m. CT. The game, broadcast by CBS, will immediately precede the NCAA Tournament selection show, scheduled for 6 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. CT.
Watch the NCAA Tournament selection show on Paramount+
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