Thursday, March 26, 2020, would have marked the start of the Sweet 16 at the 2020 NCAA Tournament. There would have been four regional semifinals at two locations. We will never know if the Wisconsin Badgers reached this stage of the 2020 Big Dance, but as a likely No. 4 seed, UW would have had a very good chance to make the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
We don’t have a Sweet 16 to talk about or preview, but we can reflect on the Sweet 16 from a number of vantage points. Let’s begin with a look at the number of Sweet 16 appearances by Big Ten basketball programs over the past 10 years, going back to the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
Would it surprise you that Wisconsin — albeit in a tie — is number one? Phrased differently, does it surprise you that Wisconsin is NOT second to Michigan State? It’s true.
Wisconsin and Michigan State share the lead for the most Sweet 16s among Big Ten programs from 2010 through 2019, with six apiece.
Michigan is third with five. Purdue and Ohio State are tied for fourth with four berths apiece.
Pretty impressive, eh?
Michigan State has the strong national reputation created by Tom Izzo and a history of high NCAA Tournament seeds — higher than what Wisconsin has normally pulled in — but Wisconsin has been Michigan State’s equal over the past 10 years. Why does it seem the Badgers don’t get as much buzz as the Spartans? Here’s a guess: Wisconsin hasn’t been a Final Four contender as often as Michigan State has. The Badgers were seeded higher than No. 4 in only two of their six Sweet 16 trips over the past 10 years. They lost four of their six Sweet 16 games over the past 10 years, whereas Michigan State has made more Elite Eights and Final Fours in that same span of time. Michigan State has done a few tangible things to merit slightly more publicity and praise… but Wisconsin still has seemed to slip under the national radar, even if you think (reasonably) that Michigan State has set an exceptional standard.
Wisconsin and Michigan State both having the same number of Sweet 16s in a five-year period would come across as a small sample size… but over the past 10 years? That tells me how underappreciated the Badgers remain, even now.