I still don't understand...

delonte13 · Post #1 » by **delonte13** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 1:25 pm

what has wisconsin done to warrant a bid?...

Their only decent wins were illinois and virginia tech. IMO if you go 19-12 in the Big 10 you better at least beat michigan state OR purdue, if not both. They played a tough non-conference, but other than vt they didn't beat anybody so it kind of neutralizes that.

there's a big debate over arizona, but I like the cats making it, they challenged themselves and were highly competitive against good teams, they may not come in hot, but they do deserve the bid. no one's questioning the badgers and nothing about them stands out for me.

MalReyn · Post #2 » by **MalReyn** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 3:09 pm

Clearly, judging by their seeding, they were right on the fringe of getting in.

Once you get to the bottom of the bubble, any team you want to let into the tournament has severe flaws to their resume.

I think what stands out most for me about the Badgers is they don't really have many "bad" losses. Their worst losses were to Northwestern and Iowa away (both close games). Every other loss was to a team firmly in the NCAA bracket. Also, even in their losses, they tend to play teams tough, only really not having a chance in 3 games (UConn, Mich. St., and Purdue).

I'd love to see more quality wins from tournament teams, but Wisconsin has at least been pretty consistent. I'm not sure they should have been a tournament team, but I can't say I have huge issues with them being in the field.

carrottop12 · Post #3 » by **carrottop12** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 8:52 am

Cats are going to lose in the first round, Utes got lucky to get the worst at large team in the whole tourney.

James1980 · Post #4 » by **James1980** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 7:24 pm

delonte13 wrote:what has wisconsin done to warrant a bid?...

We were 4th in the Big Ten with a 10-8 conference record, swept Michigan and Penn State, and beat Illinois and Ohio State at home.

MalReyn wrote: Also, even in their losses, they tend to play teams tough, only really not having a chance in 3 games (UConn, Mich. St., and Purdue).

We were up against MSU late in the game before losing. We played Uconn tough for 30 mins. Purdue killed us at their place, but barely won at ours.

Does Wisconsin deserve to be in?
Yes
Is Wisconsin going to lose in the first round?
Yes