Major College Basketball Team Might Be Doomed In March Madness. Should Fans Be Worried?
It's time for a brutally honest talk about Wisconsin's March Madness outlook.
The Badgers had been on an incredible run this season up until a couple weeks ago, and it looks like Greg Gard might be about to repeat what fans have all seen before:
An early exit in March.
The Badgers are just 2-3 in the program's final five regular-season games. The skid comes after a 5-0 prior to a humiliating loss to Oregon.
That was followed up by a road loss to Michigan State and a downright unacceptable loss at home to Penn State to close out the regular season.
Will Wisconsin be an early exit in the NCAA Tournament? (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
Is Wisconsin in huge March Madness trouble?
The Badgers went from being in the mix for the Big Ten title to being the five seed in the B1G Tournament in the span of two weeks. Furthermore, the Badgers went from being a lock for a two seed to now being viewed as a possible four seed in the same time period.
One of the biggest issues is the absence of Max Klesmit. The talented guard is dealing with a re-aggravated injury that has sidelined since the opening minutes of a February 25th win over Washington.
His status now remains unclear going into the B1G Tournament. It's a big loss, but certainly not enough to justify another late-season skid.
The 2-3 slide to close out the regular season should have fans more than panicking. It should be a major wake up call.
Let's go through a little history lesson:
- 2018: Missed the tournament.
- 2019: First round loss
- 2020: Tournament canceled (Badgers were a lock to get in)
- 2021: Second round loss
- 2022: Second round loss
- 2023: NIT
- 2024: First round loss.
I was in my mid-20s the last time the Badgers made the Sweet 16, despite having two Big Ten regular season championships in the past few years (2020 and 2022).
Wisconsin is collapsing at the exact wrong time. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
Late February and early March is when you want a team to be surging. Duke and Michigan State are great examples of teams that are firing on all cylinders with the clock winding down.
The last thing you want is a team to be collapsing, and that's exactly what's happening to the Badgers. I was asked by a co-worker how much faith I have in Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament on a scale of 1-10.
My answer? Zero.
Let's analyze the numbers from the team's last three losses:
- Oregon loss: 17 turnovers and 7-28 from three.
- Michigan State loss: 5-32 from three, 15 personal fouls and lost the rebounding battle 51-40.
- Penn State: 10-31 from three, 25-69 from the field and just six points from the bench.
Those numbers aren't just bad. They're all a warning siren that should be blasting at the highest volume possible.
You're not beating even an average team with stats like those, and you're probably going to lose to bad teams, like the Badgers did to Penn State.
Wisconsin fans have bought in time and time again only to be emotionally crushed when it matters most. It certainly appears fans are gearing up to watch that unfold again.
With how poorly the team is playing, a Thursday loss in the Big Ten Tournament isn't off the table, and making it to the weekend would be shocking.
To make matters worse, I don't think anyone would be surprised if Wisconsin gets upset in a 4/13 matchup. In fact, I'd stay far away from betting them. It's way too risky without some signs of life.
Can Wisconsin salvage its March Madness chances? (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
I hate to say it, but as a Wisconsin man, my confidence isn't just dwindling - it's gone unless there are multiple wins in the B1G Tournament. What looked like an uplifting story has turned into a trainwreck that's impossible to look away from. Agree? Disagree? Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.