With fewer than ten games remaining until conference tournament season, the Wisconsin Badgers and Marquette Golden Eagles are well-positioned for a favorable seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
The Badgers are 17-4. The Golden Eagles are 16-7. Both teams have seven wins against teams in the top-30 of college basketball’s power index. Only 8th ranked Baylor has more.
The foundation for tournament success has been built, but in college hoops it’s not about how you play in January, it’s about how you’re playing going into March.
Last season, Marquette sputtered losing 8 of its final 12 games. The Golden Eagles were bounced out of the Big East Tournament after one game and NCAA Tournament hopes were dashed.
Marquette’s last tournament win was in 2013.
The Badgers also struggled losing 7 of its final 10 games sputtering into the NCAA Tournament as a 9-seed after a 13-4 start to the season.
Kudos to both programs for rubbing pre-season predictions in the face of all the doubters.
The start is step one. In college basketball, it’s all about the finish.
