INDIANAPOLIS, IN (WSAU) — It’s a match-up against one of the most successful programs in March Madness history for the Wisconsin Badgers.
Coach Greg Guard’s crew has been seeded #9 in the South Region of the NCAA Division I MBB Tournament and will face North Carolina’s Tar Heels in the opening round on Friday, March 18th.
UNC had a down year by their standards finishing 18-10 overall and 10-6 in the ACC, good for a sixth-place regular-season standing. Carolina was ousted by Florida State in the semifinals of the league tournament.
Wisconsin bowed out in the quarters of the Big Ten tourney but did stay in Indianapolis to begin COVID-19 testing protocols ahead of the national tourney, which will be played in and around Central Indiana.
Early-round games will be played in West Lafayette (Purdue), Bloomington (IU), and at multiple sites in Indianapolis including home venues of IUPUI, Butler, and the Pacers’ Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Lucas Oil Stadium will have a two-court setup for early-round action and will host the Final Four as was originally scheduled as part of the NCAA’s rotation.
Given the unique setup of this year’s tournament, the only information released early Sunday evening was the bracket itself and game dates. As of Sunday evening, the NCAA was still working with its MBB tournament broadcast partners Turner and CBS to assign tip-off times and game locations.
The First Four games will be played on Thursday. The First Round will be played on Friday and Saturday; Second Round games begin on Sunday and will conclude Monday.
The Big Ten had a total of nine teams selected for this year’s tournament including two #1 seeds in Michigan and Illinois. Michigan State will play a First Four game.
During Sunday’s Selection Show it was also announced that if a team has to pull out of the tournament early this week due to COVID-19 protocol, it will be replaced. If the team that cannot play is from a league that received just one bid to the tournament, they will be replaced with a team from their league. If the team is from a league that received multiple bids, they will be replaced with one of the “first four out” clubs.
If a team has to pull out after 6 PM ET on Tuesday, they will not be replaced and the game will be ruled a no-contest.
