Wisconsin basketball’s March Madness opponent is James Madison to open 2024 NCAA Tournament
MINNEAPOLIS − One season after being relegated to the NIT, Wisconsin on Sunday received a No. 5 seeding in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
The Badgers (22-13) were placed in the South Regional and are set to open against No. 12 James Madison (31-3) on Friday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Tip is set for 8:40 p.m. (Central). The game is to be televised by CBS. The winner faces either No. 4 Duke or No. 13 Vermont on Sunday, with the time to be determined.
UW opened the season unranked but rose as high to No. 6 in the polls after starting 8-1 in the Big Ten and 16-4 overall.
The Badgers fell out of the polls by losing their first four games in February, including three on the road, and finished the month just 2-6.
Injuries to reserves John Blackwell and Kamari McGee contributed to the skid.
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However, the Badgers played well in a 12-point home victory over Rutgers in the penultimate regular-season game and then battled Purdue before falling by eight in the regular-season finale.
UW secured a No. 5 seeding in the Big Ten Tournament and dispatched Maryland, Northwestern and top-seeded Purdue to reach the title game, where the Badgers suffered a 93-87 loss to second-seeded Illinois.
"There's not a better group of guys I'd want to be around," junior guard Max Klesmit said. "I've never really been this far in March in my career. So I just want to keep playing with the dudes we've got in this locker room. It's been a lot of fun."
Depth and balance have been two of UW's strengths this season.
Blackwell led UW in scoring (18 points) in the second round against Maryland. AJ Storr led UW in scoring (30 points) in the quarterfinals against Northwestern. Chucky Hepburn led UW in scoring (22 points) in the semifinals against Purdue. Storr scored 24, Hepburn 20 and Klesmit 16 against Illinois in the final.
"I think it speaks volumes for our depth," Gard said, "and I've said that all year that I think our ace in our pocket is our depth. Obviously we've got different guys different nights."
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin’s March Madness opponent is JMU in 2024 NCAA Tournament
