Wisconsin Badgers fought their way through a 4-set win over the Michigan State Spartans on Thursday and showed they are a team capable of a variety of ways to win. However, their No. 1 seed chances for the NCAA Tournament may need some help, as the latest projections have them falling to the No. 2 seed line.
ESPN has released its first-ever NCAA Women's Volleyball Bracketology, and as of now, volleyball bracketologist Charlie Creme says Wisconsin is the top No. 2 seed in the tournament. And the teams in front of Wisconsin may need to take a loss or two to drop.
Right now, ESPN has the top seeds as Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Florida, and Louisville, with the No. 2 seeds as Wisconsin, SMU, Kentucky, and BYU. That's a loaded field, and if you are an avid Wisconsin volleyball fan, you will recognize that Wisconsin actually holds wins over two of those No. 1 seeds: Florida and Louisville.
Wisconsin needs to play perfect down the stretch to become a No. 1 seed and could use some help
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The problem for Wisconsin is that it has a relatively recent loss to Washington and has stumbled through a few wins, like the recent one against Michigan State, which isn't currently factored into this bracketology but is a good example of the problem. Florida hasn't even lost a set since they beat Texas 3-2 back on October 18. They are 12-0 since then.
The Gators do have a loss to Vanderbilt in early October that could cost them in a similar way, or maybe worse, than what Wisconsin's loss to Washington looks like on the resume.
Louisville has also won 12 matches in a row, and the last loss they had was against the Florida Gators way back in September. They are also 36-2 in sets since that loss. The Cardinals are on an incredible run and will need a fall from grace to let Wisconsin back into that top line. Which could happen as Louisville has back-to-back matches against SMU and Pitt next week. Florida, on the other hand, isn't projected to lose again until the SEC Tournament.
Wisconsin will need to not only win out against No. 11 Penn State, Rutgers, Ohio State, and Northwestern; they may need a little help from the opponents of either Florida or Louisville. The head-to-head wins over those two would help if either can add another loss or two.
Of course, the conference tournaments may also cause a bit of chaos and could help, but by then, some of the opinions and decisions have been weighed pretty heavily about these teams.
Getting the No. 1 seed is highly desirable, as it would allow the path through the regional side of the bracket to travel through Madison. Wisconsin fans would get all sorts of high-level volleyball for multiple rounds if that came to be. Not that they won't get some love at No. 2; the top seed is even better.
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