Wisconsin wins the (ESPN BPI) National Championship: Yes, let’s recap the simulation

Wisconsin has won the ESPN BPI simulated National Championship! I genuinely am wondering: Is this a good thing? Or does this just add to the never-ending list of “what-ifs” that the entire nation of college basketball was left with when the season …

Wisconsin has won the ESPN BPI simulated National Championship! I genuinely am wondering: Is this a good thing? Or does this just add to the never-ending list of “what-ifs” that the entire nation of college basketball was left with when the season came to an abrupt halt.

When coronavirus halted the 2019-20 NCAA season, seniors were left without their final chapter, coaches were left wondering how March would have treated their squads, and yes, we went to data analytics to answer the unanswerable questions. I have seen people playing out the NCAA tournament on College Hoops 2K8 (a great quarantine purchase), simulating the NBA draft through NBA 2k20, and using different types of data models to determine outcomes in a tournament that, in all honesty, has an unquantifiable luck factor. Last year, Virginia’s national championship run was perhaps the best example of how unpredictable the madness can be. The Cavaliers not only trailed by double digits to 16-seeded Gardner Webb in the first round, but through their Elite Eight, Final Four, and National Championship games, the ‘Hoos trailed with less than 15 seconds left in all three contests.

Who really cares about how unpredictable March is, let’s trust ESPN’s BPI tool to figure out who deserves the National Championship. Per ESPN, the BPI is a tool that combines stats to predict the outcome of two teams going head-to-head. The metric includes a BPI creates respective data points for a teams offense and defense that allows two teams to be matched up in a simulated game. The Badgers had quite a bit of help on the road to the final four in ESPN’s simulation.

In the first round, the 4-seeded Badgers took care of North Texas. Then the madness begun. 12-seeded Liberty took out the 5-seed Auburn, and the Badgers handled the Flames in the second-round. Who was waiting for UW in the Sweet-16? No, not Kansas who was the number one overall seed. Upstart Marquette, who shocked the Jayhawks in round two! Was there ever any doubt? The Badgers hand Marquette the L in a tight one.

Then, it was time for sweet revenge. The Duke Blue Devils stood between Wisconsin and the Final Four. ESPN’s simulation went mega-specific on this one, and said that D’Mitrik Trice hit a game-winning three at the buzzer to send the Badgers to glory. Trice was the least bit surprised.

This Final Four was interesting, and that’s putting it mildly. The Badgers were joined by Maryland, BYU, and Virginia. Two 4-seeds and two 6-seeds made up the last four standing. The Badgers met Maryland, and yes, you guessed it, Brad Davison hit a dagger three to send UW to the national championship game. Sound familiar?

In quite possibly the biggest party school mismatch in the history of college basketball, the Badgers met fellow-cinderella BYU in the national championship game. To nobody’s surprise, Wisconsin uses balanced offense, solid defense, and a bit of magic to win the 2020 (simulated by ESPN BPI) National Championship.