March Mode is live. ESPN Wisconsin’s Alex Strouf and Wisconsin legend Ben Brust kick off a twice-weekly NCAA Tournament sprint with a full breakdown of the Wisconsin Badgers as March arrives.
The Badgers looked like two different teams on the West Coast: a rough loss at Oregon, then a 17-point win at Washington sparked by Braden Carrington’s 32 points and 9 threes. So what does it mean for Wisconsin’s NCAA Tournament seed, their Big Ten Tournament outlook, and the matchups they do (and do not) want?
Plus: Ben gives his take on the national title picture, the conferences he trusts most, why he’s skeptical of Duke in March, and quick-hits on Big Ten contenders like Michigan, Illinois, Michigan State, Purdue, Nebraska, and Iowa.
Drop your questions in the comments and we’ll hit them on the next episode.
Chapters
0:00 March Mode begins
0:56 Badgers: Oregon loss, Washington blowout
2:30 NCAA Tournament seeding: 7 seed vs 6 seed conversation
5:06 Matchups the Badgers should avoid
6:00 Wisconsin’s analytics jump (KenPom/Bart Torvik talk)
10:55 Maryland + Purdue preview
15:20 National contenders and why Ben doubts Duke
22:25 Big Ten “say something nice” lightning round
28:20 Audience questions callout + Ben’s March résumé