Enormous news broke this week in college basketball when the 76-team NCAA Tournament – once a hypothetical talking point – became reality.
The core of the March Madness bracket we know and love will remain, but the First Four has now expanded to a 12-game opening round.
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Argue the merits and pitfalls of the NCAA Tournament’s new format all you want; it’s here for the foreseeable future.
The college basketball offseason is still very much ongoing, as many teams (including the Badgers) have yet to fill out their rosters for 2026-27. Still, it’s never too early for postseason predictions from bracket-crazed analysts. Here’s two updated March Madness predictions in the context of the expanded tournament.
Andy Katz of NCAA.com has the Badgers as a No. 10 seed
New Wisconsin wing Eian Elmer. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Andy Katz has Wisconsin with a 10 next to its name in the bracket next season, and the 37th-ranked seed overall. That places the Badgers among one of the last Big Ten teams to earn at at-large bid, but would still have them relatively safely in the field.
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Katz has Wisconsin matched up with No. 7 Missouri in Sacramento, and the winner of that game would likely go on to face the No. 2 seeded Arizona Wildcats.
The other Big Ten teams included in Katz’ bracket are Illinois (1), Michigan (1), Michigan State (3), Purdue (5), USC (5), Nebraska (5), Indiana (6), UCLA (7), Iowa (8) and Ohio State (8). Thus, the Badgers are a middling Big Ten team next year in this projection, likely finishing lower than the 10 other programs seeded higher then they are in the tournament.
Joe Lunardi of ESPN has the Badgers as a No. 8 seed
New Wisconsin forward Victory Onuetu. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Lunardi envisions a better seed for Wisconsin but an arguably worse fate in March Madness next season. He has the Badgers as a No. 8 seed, facing North Carolina in Charlotte.
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Not only does Lunardi have Greg Gard and company matched up with one of the sport’s traditional blue-bloods in its own state (this would practically be a home game for the Tar Heels), the 8-9 line is historically a rough draw because the winner is then almost guaranteed to play a No. 1 seed. Lunardi has that No. 1 seed as Florida, his top-ranked team in the entire bracket.
In terms of the rest of the Big Ten, Lunardi envisions Michigan (1), Illinois (1), Michigan State (2), USC (4), Purdue (5), Nebraska (6), Indiana (7), Ohio State (9), UCLA (10), Iowa (10) and Oregon (11).
Quick Takeaways
Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard. | David Banks-Imagn Images
Both Katz and Lunardi see the Badgers as a firm tournament team, with their prospects a little dicier according to Katz. With two projected No. 1 seeds from both analysts and a host of other at-large bids, the Big Ten is once again going to be a gauntlet.
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At this point, it’s a yearly tradition. Wisconsin is picked to be a middle-of-the-pack Big Ten team, they outperform regular season expectations, and then falter early in the tournament. The Badgers are once again projected to be a mid-tier Big Ten team; so far, so good.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/wisconsin as Where Wisconsin Lands in Updated Bracketology for Expanded 76-Team NCAA Tournament.
