Is Wisconsin on upset alert against James Madison?
The 12-seed vs. 5-seed matchup has emerged as one of the more interesting March Madness matchups since the tournament expanded in 1985.
There have been 12 upsets in No. 12 vs No. 5 games since 2014. The most recent arrived in 2022 when New Mexico State defeated UConn 70-63.
Wisconsin enters this year’s tournament as a No. 5 seed with a first-round matchup against James Madison. Although the Badgers are favored by 5.5 points, the history behind 12-5 matches in March Madness cannot be understated.
In 2019, the Badgers dropped their opening game of the tournament to No. 12 Oregon 72-54. The same year, future NBA All-Star Ja Morant dropped a triple-double for 12-seeded Murray State en route to a 83-64 victory over 5-seed Marquette.
Here is a quick overview of all the essentials you need to know for the iconic 12-5 matchup. It doesn’t mean great things for the Badgers.
Facts:
Since 1985, 12-seeds have defeated 5-seeds 53 times. Ahead of 2024’s tournament, the lower seed boasted a 53-99 mark (34.87 win percentage)
In 32 of the last 38 years, the 12-seed stole at least one first round game.
Ever since Ja Morant joined Nike in 2019, the sneaker giant has been all in on investing in the high flyer. Even when Morant was going through his off-court troubles, Nike stood firm by his side. His signature shoe, the Ja 1, dropped in April 2023, and he’s already had multiple color renditions of the shoe he’s showcased.
Take a look at the shoe apparel Morant has worn in the handful of games he has played in this season:
Grizzlies guard Ja Morant will miss the remainder of the season due to labrum surgery , only 11 games after retaking the court from his lengthy punishment to open the campaign for his various indiscretions, in what will amount to a nothing season …
Grizzlies guard Ja Morant will miss the remainder of the season due to labrum surgery, only 11 games after retaking the court from his lengthy punishment to open the campaign for his various indiscretions, in what will amount to a nothing season for the franchise’s 24-year-old cornerstone.
The difference with and without Morant was palpable. In games without Morant this season, the Grizzlies have posted a mere 6-20 record; with him, they won six of their 10 outings, with Ja being the game-deciding factor. The already flimsy argument that the Grizzlies might be better without Morant based on their anomalous record without him in the 2022/23 season was running on fumes. Now, though, yet another extended absence is upcoming.
The reasons why the 2023-24 and 2022-23 Ja-less Grizzlies are so different are myriad and not to be explored here. Injuries, certainly, are a big part of it. Nevertheless, there exists a salary cap vehicle precisely for such eventualities. Per the terms of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams with players who suffer season-ending injuries can apply for a Disabled Player Exception, a tool to help them plug the gap. And the usefulness of those is directly correlated to how much salary the hurt player is getting paid.
The two-time All-Star guard and former Rookie of the Year played just nine games for Memphis in 2023-24. He hit a wild game-winner during his first game back with the Grizzlies and was averaging 25.1 points per game before his injury.
Shortly after the team announced that Morant would require surgery for a torn labrum in his right shoulder, he reacted on Instagram with a devastating post.
That makes it hard for both Morant and the Grizzlies, who are also without notable players including Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke due to season-ending injuries as well, to find a rhythm.
Memphis was 6-3 (.666) during games Morant played this season and 7-20 (.259) in games he did not. The Grizzlies had a positive point differential in minutes Morant played, per PBPStats, but were outscored by 7.01 points per 100 possessions in minutes he did not.
Morant is expected to make a full recovery and is expected back on the court next season.
After the San Antonio Spurs’ loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, Ja Morant spoke about his highlight dunk over Victor Wembanyama.
The San Antonio Spurs fell to the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night by a score of 106-98. They kept it close for most of the first half, and despite going down by double digits late in the second quarter, they battled back by the early stages of the third. Unfortunately, that’s when the Grizzlies managed to pull ahead.
Ja Morant helped lead the charge for the Grizzlies, as has been the case since his return from his 25-game suspension to begin the year. But he did more than just put up great numbers. Morant also decided to go for a highlight over star Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama.
Morant threw down a jam over Wembanyama in the paint, calling it a late Christmas gift for the fans. (H/t Jeff Smith of Sports Illustrated)
At the same time, however, Morant downplayed the dunk. He made sure to emphasize that his goal is always just to score, not necessarily to create a highlight play.
“Moment was just like any other moment when someone is guarding me,” Morant said via Jonah Kubicek of Inside the Spurs. “My goal is to score.”
Morant finished the game with 26 points, five rebounds, and 10 assists while shooting 7-of-15 from the floor and 3-of-9 from beyond the three-point arc.
Meanwhile, Wembanyama ended the night with 20 points, seven rebounds, one assist, and four blocks while shooting 8-of-16 from the floor and 2-of-5 from distance.
San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama had some words for Ja Morant after their loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Following an impressive win over the Portland Trail Blazers, the San Antonio Spurs have now lost three games in a row. Their latest loss came against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night, as they fell 106-98. Ever since Ja Morant returned from his suspension, the Grizzlies have been much better, and the Spurs learned that the hard way.
Getting Morant back has given them a major boost, and the Spurs just weren’t able to hang with the fully healthy Grizzlies. Morant even went for a monster dunk over Victor Wembanyama, who is currently leading the entire league in blocks per game.
After the game, Wembanyama showed Morant some love.
“Good player. Very small, so it’s hard to catch up with him,” Wembanyama said via ESPN. “Very fast. Just another great player that I see every night in the NBA.”
Morant finished the game 26 points, five rebounds, and 10 assists while shooting 7-of-15 from the field and 3-of-9 from behind the three-point line.
As for Wembanyama, he put up 20 points, seven rebounds, one assist, and four blocks while shooting 8-of-16 from the floor and 2-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc.
San Antonio was leading in the early stages of the third quarter after overcoming a 10-point deficit, but after that, the Grizzlies stormed ahead. Memphis was up by as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter, closing out the Spurs and Wembanyama.
The Spurs have a tough stretch coming up, too, with games against the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers coming up next.
This is a pretty crazy stat about the NBA season that we found!
During his first game back on the court after returning from a 25-game suspension, Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant hit a game-winning shot.
Even though Morant wasn’t surprised by his accomplishment in his return to action, there was another element of the moment that was shocking. This was only the second game-winning buzzer-beater made during the NBA season so far this season.
Just three days prior, Miami’s Jimmy Butler hit the only other buzzer-beater we have seen during the 2023-24 campaign. Based on how many games the NBA schedule has had so far, that means the league is on pace for around six buzzer-beaters this season.
That is significant according to the database at Basketball Reference, which tracks all of the shots made when the shooter’s team was tied or trailing and left no time on the clock after it went through.
SEASON
BUZZER-BEATERS (ADJUSTED FOR 82 GAMES)
2023-24
6.1
2022-23
17.0
2021-22
14.0
2020-21
11.4
2019-20
10.4
2018-19
18.0
2017-18
11.0
2016-15
19.0
2014-15
15.0
Based on this research, when adjusting for an 82-game season to account for the two seasons shortened by COVID-19, this season stands out as unique.
The last time that we have seen a season end with six or fewer buzzer-beaters was the lockout-shortened campaign in 2011-12. But even that season, when adjusted for 82 games, would equate to a higher rate of buzzer-beaters (7.4) than we have seen so far this season.
While this rate may change as we turn the calendar into the new year, perhaps buzzer-beaters may be increasingly less common. There isn’t a theory that immediately explains why but it’s worth monitoring as the year progresses.
Angel Reese is using some of Ja Morant’s recent words to send a message.
As Angel Reese continues to ramp up her production from her four-game absence earlier this year, she’s seemingly taking inspiration from some of Ja Morant’s recent words.
A lot has happened at LSU since the college basketball season tipped off on November 6. The team lost its first game, and then shortly after, Reese was benched. Head coach Kim Mulkey didn’t provide much explanation before Reese valiantly returned four games later for what she said was a mental reset.
Ultimately, LSU has been cruising since Reese has been back in the lineup, and the “Bayou Barbie” even recently earned Athlete of the Year honors. Yet, she’s seemingly keeping a watchful eye on everything that’s been happening around her, evoking shades of Ja Morant’s words with a recent post to her social media.
But, as Morant was running to the locker room postgame, cameras caught him yelling out a spicy phrase. Apparently, he’s been watching what people have said during his time away, and he’s taking notes.
As soon as that shot hit the bottom of the net, the thought immediately crossed my mind — JA MORANT FOR MVP!?!?!?
Listen, man. It won’t happen — partially because it can’t. According to the NBA’s new rules that require players to play at least 65 games to be eligible for awards, Morant is automatically ruled out after his 25-game suspension.
But what if, right?
Wouldn’t it be hilarious if Morant kept this up? It’s just one game, but Morant’s performance on Tuesday was absolutely MVP-esque. He scored 27 points in the 2nd half and came up with 13 in the fourth quarter including his game-winner.
The Grizzlies are currently 7-19 after the win Morant single-handedly pulled out for his team. Let’s say Morant gets them to a 45-win spot and he keeps playing like that. Just imagine it, man.
Can’t you just see Stephen A. Smith on First Take hooting and hollering? “Ja Morant is unequivocally the MVP this year by the book definition,” my imaginary Stephen A. is saying. “It’s downright blasphemous that we’d let a silly rule take that away. What a travesty!”
Please, man. I really, really want this to happen. Ja Morant, keep this up. We need the chaos.
If you can’t beat ’em, pick ’em
(Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images for DraftKings)
The growing popularity of “pick ’em” style gaming has the sports betting world in a bit of a tizzy.
The popular fantasy games (that are nearly indistinguishable from parlay betting at this point!) don’t require a company to have a sports betting license to offer. Companies like Prize Picks and Underdog Sports have thrived off of them.
You know what they say, folks. If you can’t beat them, join them.
“DraftKings launched Pick6 earlier this month, a direct competitor to the very pick’em games it was accused of fighting against. After an initial offering in six states on Dec. 6, the game was expanded into Washington, D.C., last Thursday, with more states expected to follow. If DraftKings’ alleged involvement in attempting to block companies offering similar games is true, this looks like either a classic case of “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” or an attempt to beat them at their own game.”
This blatant display of hypocrisy shows us what DraftKings’ motives have been the entire time. It seems the company was simply trying to eliminate a potential competitor. Unfortunately, as Prince points out, it never made a compelling argument to support its case.
“Having players compete against each other is likely what DraftKings sees as the big differentiator between what it considers to be fantasy and sports betting. Whether it’s a good one depends on who you ask, but there’s no denying the appearance of hypocrisy when it comes to offering a game so similar to the ones it had been accused of fighting against for so long.”
Whew, boy. Something funky is going on with UCLA. Mick Cronin’s team looks like it stinks.
Before Tuesday, UCLA hadn’t lost a home game since January 2022 when it lost to a tough Oregon team. Since then, the team built up a home-winning streak of 29 games.
Today, that streak is snapped…by Cal State Northridge. A team that hadn’t won a Pac-12 game since December 21, 2012. Folks, that was 11 years ago. Wasn’t the world supposed to end on that day or something?
Look, man. There’s no shame in losing. The streak was going to end eventually. But, man. To a non-Power Five school? Like this? That’s bad. Really bad. Mick Cronin’s team has more losses than wins right now against non-Power Five schools.
#UCLA MBB's 29-game winning streak at Pauley Pavilion has been ended by… Cal State Northridge.
Bruins lose 76-72, have lost 3 straight, and have more losses against non-Power Five schools (1) than wins against Power Five schools (0).
