Can Bucky make the Sweet 16?
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament begins this week. Did the Wisconsin Badgers and Marquette Golden Eagles get reasonable seeds? How far can each club go? Will either make the Sweet 16, perhaps even the Elite Eight?
Lots of experts think the Big Ten Conference was the strongest in the nation this year. The teams sure are battle tested after beating up on each other. Do you think one of the Big Ten teams or some other club will win it all this year?
I’d like to say that the Badgers will again make the Sweet 16 before falling. A victory in their opening-round game at 11:40 a.m. Friday against Ole Miss, however, is no given. Andy Katz of ESPN had this to say about Ole Miss and that match-up:
“Marshall Henderson was on display with all his warts and highlights Sunday in the SEC tournament title game win over Florida in Nashville, Tenn. Now the question for Ole Miss will be can Henderson find the room to get shots off against Wisconsin in one of the most interesting round of 64 match-ups. This 5-12 tussle in Kansas City promises to be something to see.”
Remember that Florida thumped UW early in the season, when the Badgers were trying to overcome the preseason loss of Josh Gasser to a knee injury. If Ole Miss can take down Florida in their conference tournament championship game, can the Badgers get past the Rebels?
Greg Peck can be reached at (608) 755-8278 or gpeck@gazettextra.com. Or follow him on Twitter or Facebook
Mar 21, 2013 at 12:27 p.m.
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good shooting is and always has been the key. the defense is always there but decent shooting and free throw shooting could get them to the Final Four.
Mar 19, 2013 at 9:07 p.m.
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Please, NVgrf, explain how the B1G is "grossly overrated", you're wisdom is beyond that of the best basketball analysts in the nation. It's nearly unanimous among basketball analysts that the B1G is far and away the best conference in basketball this year.
Mar 19, 2013 at 8:11 p.m.
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Would not be a suprise to see them in the final 8, even in a grossly overrated Big 10 Conference. Look for most Big 10 teams to exit early.
Louisville-68 Miami-64 in the Finals.
Mar 19, 2013 at 1:48 p.m.
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To bad that the Hoosiers aren`t in their bracket. That`s a minus for UW and a plus for Indiana. Can`t believe that the Badgers have beaten us 12 tines in a row. Bo knows basketball alright! During their game in the BIG Tourney Clark Kellogg said that Wisconsin not only has the Hoosiers number, but their address too. Anyway UW simply is not a very good tourney team for some reason. I don`t think they will make it past this weekend. We will see if the Hoosiers do or not. They definitely are not playing their best right now.
Mar 19, 2013 at 12:43 p.m.
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DwightKSchrute good observation. Greg why shoot so low? We all know that their last shooting preformance with 7 minutes in regulatin has to GREATLY improve. So IMO it depends on which shooting team show's up. No matter, curl up on the couch and enjoy and forget it's spring (?). UW 55 Ole Miss 49
Mar 19, 2013 at 12:10 p.m.
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Common opponents are NEVER a good way to gauge how one team will perform against another. But, if you want to go that route, Gonzaga lost to Illinois this year and Wisconsin beat Illinois twice. That being said, Wisconsin is in the easiest region and has a legitimate shot at making it to the Final Four. We've already proven we can beat Ohio State, and Gonzaga hasn't been tested most of the season. Ole Miss is hot right now, so that worries me a little and could be a typical 5-12 upset, but if we get past them, a Final Four run is well within reason.
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