Badgers Embrace Heightened Expectations After Surprising Season

It’s been a fun little story, this University of Wisconsin Basketball team.

Picked to finish 10th in Big Ten after a tumultuous summer, the Badgers made a mockery of those preseason prognostications by clinching a share of the league title with a 15-5 record (24-7 overall), good enough to earn a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament and a virtual home game by opening the postseason a short drive from campus in Milwaukee.

Those accomplishments, though, have now flipped the Badgers’ script. They’re no longer playing with house money and instead of being the team that seemingly came out of nowhere to knock off the favorites, they are the favorites; they’re now the team that everyone wants to knock off starting Friday when Wisconsin faces No. 14 Colgate in a first-round contest in Milwaukee.

“I think they’re ready for it,” Gard said. “They understand … erase the numbers in front of the seeds because all the average and poor teams are out on spring break right now, so you’re going to play a really good team that’s had a very successful year, that’s won somewhere between 25 and 30 games or in that realm. So stay true to who you are. I think is — you don’t — I think you make a mistake if you overemphasize some things because then you get away from who you are and what’s made you successful.”

The Badgers have been down this road before.

Back in 2008, the Badgers also earned a 3-seed after winning the Big Ten title but after knocking off No. 14 Cal State Fullerton in the first round and No. 11 Kansas State in the second, were stunned in the Sweet 16 by No. 10 Davidson, which rode the hot shooting of a senior guard named Steph Curry to a 73-56 upset.

Of course, many of the current Wisconsin players were still in diapers at that point but they are well aware of the dangers that come from looking past any one opponent. Even if they’re not old enough to remember Curry’s sharpshooting, they’ve no doubt watched teams like Loyola make a run to the Final Four as an 11 seed or even during first-round action Thursday when No. 15 upset No. 2 Kentucky.

So while they enjoy the benefit that comes from favorable seeding or a potential home-court advantage, the Badgers insist that they’re going into this tournament with the same mindset they did during the regular season.

“This group has done a very good job all year of staying in the moment, kind of embracing the journey,” Gard said. “Just being around them, they’re loose. They’re doing the same stuff they did during the regular season, joking with each other. So I think just we’ve talked about enjoying it and enjoy every road trip, enjoy every practice. I think that’s what’s helped this group be successful. They haven’t got consumed in what’s down the road either individually or as a team. They’ve stayed right true to where their feet are, and it’s helped them over the course of this season.”

It hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows. Wisconsin isn’t exactly coming into the tournament on a high note after falling to Nebraska in its regular-season finale, which cost the Badgers the outright Big Ten title, then going one-and-done in the Big Ten Tournament thanks to a six-point loss to Michigan State.

“It wasn’t the result we wanted, but I think we can look at it where we took it as kind of a slap in the face,” junior forward Tyler Wahl said. “Now I think we’re ready to go for this NCAA Tournament.”

Those losses have led some to suggest the Badgers might be prime for an upset Friday but considering that many of those picking against Wisconsin were also involved in any number of the very same preseason polls that figured they’d be bottom feeders in the Big Ten, those inside the locker room are eager to make a few more people look foolish.

“We’re not coming here to make it to the second weekend or just make it to the third weekend,” Badgers guard “We’re here to win it all”