What does a successful NCAA Tournament look like for Wisconsin Basketball?

By every measure, it's been a successful regular season for Wisconsin basketball.

Picked to finish seventh in the Big Ten in the preseason media poll, the Badgers once again surpassed outside expectations. They finished fifth with a 14-6 Big Ten record, their best mark in conference play since the 2021-2022 season.

But it wasn't just finishing higher on the Big Ten ladder than expected that made this season special. After a dismal showing in the non-conference slate that had Wisconsin sitting at 7-4 in late December, the Badgers deftly navigated a perilous Big Ten schedule and picked up some of the biggest wins in the country in the process.

A regular season to remember

On Jan. 10, Wisconsin waltzed into Ann Arbor and stunned No. 2 and then-undefeated Michigan in a 91-88 victory that put this team on the map.

Exactly a month later, the Badgers knocked off No. 8 Illinois in Champaign. Three days later, it was No. 10 Michigan State. To close out the regular season, it was No. 15 Purdue — in Mackey Arena.

And of course, in the Big Ten Tournament, the Badgers bested No. 9 Illinois in a thrilling comeback win to send them to the semifinals. Before the eventual loss to Michigan, Wisconsin boasted an unthinkable five straight wins over AP Top 15 teams.

The myriad of memorable wins is obviously a big part of the successful regular season. But it was also how Wisconsin won those games.

Despite de-facto offensive coordinator Kirk Penny stepping down ahead of the season, the Badgers' offensive revolution continued. After posting their best KenPom offensive rating of head coach Greg Gard's tenure last season (122.9), ranking 13th nationally in the process, they've currently topped that (125.4) as it stands and sit at 11th in the country.

They continue to take more threes than ever before, and only five teams in Division I currently take a higher percentage of shots from beyond the arc. Five players have had a game in which they've hit five or more three-pointers this season — almost everyone on the roster can shoot the leather off the ball. They've also played at their fastest pace ever.

Put simply, it's been beautiful basketball. Modern, high-scoring and high-tempo, orchestrated by a tight-knit combination of program stalwarts like John Blackwell and Nolan Winter with dynamic transfers including Nick Boyd and Braeden Carrington.

All of that is to say, it's been an entertaining and memorable regular season for the Badgers. But will any of that matter if Wisconsin can't make noise in the NCAA Tournament?

Sweet 16 or bust?

For all of the recent success and respect the Badgers have garnered from their regular season exploits of late, there's an albatross around this team's neck: Wisconsin hasn't made it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2016-2017, Gard's first full season as skipper in Madison.

It's been a fun and exhilierating regular season. Only the most jaded of Badger fans wouldn't admit that. But it's time for Wisconsin's modern scheme and dynamic transfers to take them to where they haven't been since the days of the swing offense: the Sweet 16.

March has yeilded heartbreak for the Badgers the past two seasons. Last year, it was a two-point loss at the hands of BYU in the Round of 32. The year prior, it was a shocking upset in the first round courtesy of 12-seed James Madison.

This season, the Badgers have all the makings of a team that can make a run. They can score with anybody. They can shoot with anybody. They're ranked 26th nationally in experience. Their star point guard has Final Four experience. They're about to get their starting center, Nolan Winter, back after toppling Illinois and giving Michigan hell in the Big Ten Tournament.

Thus, a successful NCAA Tournament for Wisconsin includes a trip to the Sweet 16. Nothing less.