Once again, the Wisconsin Badgers are in danger of being eliminated early in the NCAA Tournament.
While they had a terrific run in the Big Ten Tournament, which nearly included a semifinal victory over No. 1 Michigan, Wisconsin now has to face an extremely dangerous High Point team in the first round.
Wisconsin earned a No. 5 seed, though everyone knows how common the 12/5 upsets are. High Point comes into the tournament with 30 wins under its belt, and it’s far from satisfied with just that number.
Head coach Greg Gard hasn’t made it past the Regional Semifinal with the Badgers, and now seems like the perfect year to change that. Wisconsin has a pair of guards that are undeniably one of the best duos in the entire country, so now it’s time to put that to the test.
Looking ahead to Thursday, here are three major takeaways from Wisconsin’s NCAA Tournament draw.
1. High Point’s Explosive Offense
The Panthers have dropped triple-digits numerous times this season, including a season-high 129-point effort against Mary Baldwin.
While the level of competition was nowhere near what the team will be playing in the NCAA Tournament, all it takes is one hot night while the Badgers go cold, and the Panthers will keep on dancing.
2. Arkansas Is A Massive Challenge
The selection committee is not only making Wisconsin travel to Portland, Oregon, for a Thursday game, but they also put them in the same region as John Calipari.
Wisconsin’s history with the former Kentucky Wildcats coach is well documented, and he could be the one standing in their way of a Sweet 16 appearance. Arkansas has won 26 games this year but that’s only good for the third highest in the top half of this region.
3. No. 1 Arizona Is Scary, But No. 2 Purdue Isn’t
The Boilermakers may have just taken out Michigan, but there’s no guarantee Purdue makes it out of the bottom half of this bracket. If Wisconsin survives the potential gauntlet of High Point, Arkansas, and Arizona, the bottom half could be wide open, which is exactly what the team will need.
At the end of the day, Wisconsin can only focus on the opponent in front of it, but it’s fun to look at the rest of the region, as there are a ton of marquee matchups that could come to fruition.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin basketball NCAA Tournament selection takeaways
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