Wisconsin fails to make NCAA Tournament, Marquette in as a two-seed

MADISON, Wis. (WSAW) - The bracket for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament was released Sunday and only one team will be representing the Badger State, and it won’t be the Badgers. Wisconsin failed to make the field of 68 for just the second time in 23 years. Marquette automatically qualified for the tournament and earn a two-seed in the big dance.

The Badgers’ resume was shaky at best entering Sunday. Despite starting the season 11-2, Wisconsin’s season was undone by inconsistencies and injuries once the calendar hit 2023. The Badgers failed to win back-to-back games since the start of January and were eliminated in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament. Their quality of wins kept them on the bubble, but their 17-14 record ultimately kept them out of the NCAA Tournament. Wisconsin will now play in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) for just the fifth time and the first since 1996. They’ll host Bradley out of the Missouri Valley Conference to begin the tournament Tuesday. The game tips at 8:30 p.m. from the Kohl Center.

As for Marquette, they had the opposite experience Sunday. Having already won the Big East regular season and tournament titles, the Golden Eagles knew they’d be seeing their name flash on the screen Sunday. They’d end up being the second-to-last team revealed as a two-seed. The Golden Eagles will head to Columbus, Ohio to play 15-seed Vermont out of the American East Conference. Vermont is making its second-straight trip to the big dance. The game will be played Friday at 1:45 p.m. and can be seen on CBS-WSAW.

The NCAA Tournament gets underway Tuesday night with the ‘First Four’ from Dayton, Ohio.