The Wisconsin Badgers are headed for the NCAA Tournament after a strong finish to the season, winning three in a row and upsetting No. 15 Purdue in Mackey Arena. The questions will be: What seed will the Badgers be? And how far will they be able to get into the NCAA Tournament? Andy Katz has a strong prediction for that second question. He's put them down to run into the Sweet 16.
How far in @MarchMadnessMBB does @TheAndyKatz think these B1G teams will go ⁉️
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Wisconsin is looking to advance out of the round of 32 after a disappointing result last season
Related: Matt Painter pats Purdue on the back for Wisconsin's recent success
Andy Katz has high praise for the Badgers and says that he sees them advancing all the way to the Sweet 16. That would be an improvement from last season, in which Wisconsin was eliminated in the Round of 32 by BYU. Katz says it comes from strong guard play with Nick Boyd and John Blackwell.
He mainly hangs his hat on the total scoring of Wisconsin, noting that when they score over 90 points, they beat Michigan, Illinois, and Purdue. That's notable for sure, but it's actually a lower bar than that. Whenever the Badgers score 80+ points, they win. Wisconsin has won without getting to that mark, but every time UW gets to 80, it's a sure win this season.
Katz loves what he's seeing from Wisconsin and they have a threat to go deep but ultimately he landed on a Sweet 16. "I think Wisconsin gets to the second weekend, Sweet 16."
That would feel like a pretty big win after this wild rollercoaster of a season. However, Nick Boyd won't be pleased with that prediction; he still has a sour taste in his mouth from being the runner-up in a National Championship game to UCONN in 2023. Boyd is trying to win it all, and he has the postseason experience that the Badgers need.