Selection Sunday has arrived and the Wisconsin Badgers have earned a No. 3 seed and will play in the Midwest region of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
The Badgers will face off against the No. 14 seed Colgate Raiders in the first round in Milwaukee on Friday.
Wisconsin (24-7, 15-5) enjoyed a remarkable breakout 2021-22 season after a lot of roster turnover from the year before. Brad Davison was a key senior returnee and filled a leadership role on the team as well as providing 14.5 PPG and averaged the most minutes on the floor on the team.
But the real key to Wisconsin's success this year was the breakout of star guard Johnny Davis. After seeing limited action his freshman year, Davis became the focal point of the Badgers offense early on this season and averaged more than 20 points per game for most of the season, finishing the year with 19.7 PPG.
Now we're in the NCAA Tournament and nothing is guaranteed beyond the first round. They look to avoid a massive first round upset against the Colgate Raiders on Friday.
The Colgate Raiders (23-11, 16-2) won the Patriot League by a wide margin this season and dominated Navy in the tournament championship game. Colgate is led by a trio of guards in Nelly Cummings (14.5 PPG), Jack Ferguson (12.6 PPG), and Tucker Richardson (12.6 PPG). Forward Keegan Records and guard Ryan Moffatt both average 10 PPG as well, giving the Raiders five players who average double digit points per game.
The Raiders are a 40.3% shooting team from beyond the arc, meaning the Badgers will have to defend the 3 point line well to hold Colgate off.
The Badgers will be playing close to home in Milwaukee at Fiserv Forum, so it'll be a friendly crowd. Also in Milwaukee in this group are LSU and Iowa State.
The top seeds in the Midwest Region are (1) Kansas, (2) Auburn, (3) Wisconsin, and (4) Providence.
When the Badgers tip off on Friday against Colgate, it'll have been a week since their last game. While the Badgers lost their last two games, games they probably should've won, they will have fresh legs to be ready for the Tournament.