Beating Purdue in Mackey feels great, and there are no take-backs. However, Wisconsin's winning ways to end the season have the team flirting with a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament. That may sound great if you don't know your Badger history, but it's terrible. Wisconsin has a history with that seed, and it's not been good in any way or form.
Before we get into the problem, here's what the bracketologist and metrics people are saying: Wisconsin is on the cusp of a 5-seed in the NCAA tournament and is safely a 6-seed. Below, you can see in the video posted by Andrew Bandstra, Hasla Metrics says, "You beat Purdue, you gotta start talk 5-seed." He's not the only one saying this.
"You gotta start talking 5 seed"
— Andrew Bandstra (@andrewbandstra) March 7, 2026
The great @haslametrics told me beating Purdue could dramatically help the #Badgers NCAA Tournament stock.
What a win in West Lafayette. pic.twitter.com/M6sywOFxZA
Wisconsin may end up as a 5-seed and will need to break the curse
Related: Wisconsin has found a new trolling tradition after beating Purdue in Mackey
The Badgers have been in the 5-seed vs. 12-seed matchup five times, always as the 5-seed. They have exactly one win in those games. Wisconsin has been upset by a 12-seed four times since 1999. There are many Wisconsin fans who are so actively against the 5-seed because of this PTSD that they are rooting for a lower seed.
Here's a look at those five games:
1999: (12) Missouri State 43 to (5) Wisconsin 32
2003: (5) Wisconsin 81, (12) Weber State 74
2013: (12) Ole Miss 57 to (5) Wisconsin 46
2019: (12) Oregon 72 to (5) Wisconsin 54
2024: (12) James Madison 72, (5) Wisconsin 61
Badgers either going to the Final Four or shooting 5/32 from 3 against the 12 seed in the first round and losing by double digits
— Ryan (@BrewPack8) March 8, 2026
The only time that Wisconsin successfully made it out of the 5-seed spot was in 2003, and the Badgers were able to make a Sweet 16 run that year. So, if there is a silver lining for the curse, if you can defeat it, the Badgers can make a run.
Sometimes the complaint is that the 5-seed spot often gets more mid-majors that can gameplan a win. However, if you look at the above list. Two losses did come to mid-majors, but the other two came to bubble teams that barely made the field: Ole Miss and Oregon.
Either way, Wisconsin is flirting with a curse and Badger fans should feel a little unsettled about it all.