Wisconsin March Madness bracket predictions for 2025 NCAA tournament

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How NCAA regional assignment works; could UW end up in Milwaukee?

How does the pod system work assigning teams to NCAA Tournament venues, and more importantly, does Wisconsin still have a chance to land in Milwaukee?

The Wisconsin men’s basketball team reached as high as No. 11 in the Associated Press rankings this season but struggled down the stretch, with losses at home to Oregon and Penn State that knocked the team’s postseason outlook into a greater degree of uncertainty.

Here’s what to know about UW on the cusp of learning its NCAA tournament fate:

Coach: Greg Gard (10th season)Record: 26-8 (13-7 in Big Ten)Record in last 10: 7-3Best wins in 2024-25: vs. No. 9 Arizona on Nov. 15, 103-88; vs. No. 7 Purdue on Feb. 15, 94-84; vs. No. 7 Michigan State on March 15, 77-74.Puzzling loss in 2024:-25 vs. Penn State on March 8, 86-75.Place in ratings systems: KenPom, No. 11; T-Rank, No. 12; Associated Press poll, No. 18Leading scorers: John Tonje, 19.5 ppg; John Blackwell, 15.4 ppg; Steven Crowl, 9.8 ppgLast time in NCAA Tournament: 2024 (No. 5 seed), lost first-round game to James Madison.Last time making second weekend: 2017 (lost to Florida in Sweet 16)Final Four appearances: 2015 (national runner-up); 2014 (lost in national semifinal); 2000 (lost in national semifinal); 1941 (national champion)

For a while, it looked like a lock that the Badgers would get the right to play in Milwaukee for first- and second-round games, but then came late-season losses at home to Oregon and especially Penn State, a team that had nothing to play for and nonetheless ruined the Badgers’ Senior Day. Wisconsin will still be on the fringe of earning the right to play at Fiserv Forum, just as they did in 2022. Then again, that team lost in the second round even before the home crowd and didn’t replicate the magic of the 2014 run. And, if the Badgers haven’t had success in recent games in Madison, does it matter if they play in Milwaukee?

As of March 15, Jerry Palm of CBS, Joe Lunardi of ESPN and…

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Publish date : 2025-03-16 10:11:00

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