Wisconsin Badgers Jump Up Multiple Seeds For March Madness After Pair of Top 10 Wins

Wisconsin may have the best three wins of any team in the country, but a rough non-conference performance may be holding them back from climbing even higher in NCAA Tournament seeding

Wisconsin guard Isaac Gard, right, sits on the end of the bench as his father, head coach Greg Gard, watches his team during the first half of their game against Ohio State Saturday, January 31, 2026 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Wisconsin Badgers had been teetering on the edge of the bubble for a majority of the 2025-26 season.

Their wins over No. 8 Illinois and No. 10 Michigan State last week helped cement their spot in the 68-team NCAA Tournament.

Widely seen as an eight or nine seed before the pair of wins, the Badgers have jumped up at least one seed line in latest bracket projections, and have even more room to climb in the closing weeks of the regular season.

Berth Watch - 2/15

READ BELOW.
Rationale for "Good Shape": teams with at least 2/3 resume metrics <40, and at least 1 Q1 win. But this group is still "bubbly"

I am fine to add back teams to the graphic if they get red hot, but will not do so until March 1st. pic.twitter.com/D1FVifh2qv

— T3™️ (@T3Bracketology) February 16, 2026

Wisconsin Badgers closing in on 7-seed in latest bracketology updates

Many of the most popular bracketologists have bumped Wisconsin up onto the seven line, falling into a similar category as Clemson, Kentucky, Villanova, Saint Louis and Utah State.

ESPN's Joe Lunardi, T3 Bracketology, Andy Katz of NCAA.com, HoopsHQ, The Athletic and The Field of 68 all have the Badgers as a 7-seed. Texas A&M was the most common first-round opponent for the Badgers in those brackets.

Lunardi's bracket includes an additional projection of highest possible seed. He has the Badgers topping out as a six-seed, possibly due to the difficulty of Wisconsin's schedule the rest of the way.

Wisconsin still has four Quad 1 games left on the schedule, and they will have to play on the road in four of its final six games, including at Purdue in the regular-season finale.

While those tough matchups provide an opportunity to pick up more quality wins, it also poses a significant threat. The Badgers are likely to drop at least one game in that six-game stretch, and a bad loss could significantly harm their overall resume.

Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard hugs player John Blackwell (25) after a win over the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Sign Up For the Wisconsin Daily Digest - OnSI’s Free Wisconsin Badgers Newsletter

Despite the Badgers owning three victories over Top-10 opponents and looking vastly improved recently, other bracketologists are hesitant to move Wisconsin up to a seven.

SB Nation's Chris Dobbertean, On3's James Fletcher and multiple smaller, but respected, bracketologists leave Wisconsin at an eight.

The hesitancy is explained by the Badgers rough non-conference performances, where they lost four games by double-figures, including a 30-point loss to Nebraska and a 28-point loss to BYU, all while not picking up a quality win.

Whether they're announced as an eight or seven seed on Selection Sunday, they'll likely have a tough path to the second weekend, having to down a quality opponent in the first round and likely face a one or two-seed in the second round.

But if there's one thing this year's Badgers have proven, it's that they can compete with anybody, which could make them dangerous in March.

More Wisconsin Badgers News:

• Michigan State coach Tom Izzo delivers a strong message to Wisconsin Badgers fans

• Wisconsin coach Greg Gard couldn't care less about the Badgers' top-10 triumphs

• Wisconsin Badgers making a push toward a Big Ten Tournament double bye

• Brad Davison has used a blank slate to impact Wisconsin basketball in multiple ways