Wisconsin Badgers trying to deliver an important message to their NCAA Tournament newcomers

MADISON, Wis. - Braeden Carrington expects his view of the NCAA Tournament to be significantly better this time around.

After missing out on the national tournament during his first three collegiate seasons, a product of playing on teams with losing records, Carrington is finally set to make his NCAA Tournament debut when the fifth-seeded Badgers play 12th-seed High Point at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., on Thursday.

"I'm just happy I'm not going to be sitting on my couch this weekend," Carrington said. "I'm just glad I get to keep playing."

While Wisconsin (24-10) is making its third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the only member of its current eight-man rotation who has played in the 68-team field in a Badgers uniform is John Blackwell.

A look at the Wisconsin #Badgers NCAA Tournament history under Greg Gard, a run of highs, lows, and injuries https://t.co/Ch8ITQNchl
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In addition to Carrington, the Badgers' starting frontcourt of sophomore Austin Rapp and freshman Aleksas Bieliauskas, along with freshman reserves Will Garlock and Hayden Jones, will play in their first NCAA Tournament. Even senior guard Andrew Rohde will be getting a new experience, as his only taste of the NCAA Tournament was a 67-42 loss to Colorado State in the 2024 First Four.

"A big thing I'm asking is how do you not get distracted?" said Rapp, who played last season at Portland and has a large portion of his family flying to the game. "Going back to Portland, there are going to be a lot of distractions. How do you stay in the moment and stay present? A big thing is to take it all in. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

The only player with any tangible NCAA Tournament success is senior point guard Nick Boyd, who has seven tournament games between two schools and was part of Florida Atlantic's 2023 Final Four team.

"No matter if we were playing in March Madness or the NIT, it's my job as a leader to be there for my guys and encourage them through the highs and the lows of a season, even a game," Boyd said. "I remember my first time in the tournament, how hungry I was and grateful I was to be there. When you get there year after year, sometimes you can take it for granted.

"That's something I don't worry about with this group. There are a lot of key contributors who have never been here but are just grateful to be in this position."

A positive of Wisconsin’s extended stay at the Big Ten Tournament was that the players were exposed to the increased media coverage. The NCAA Tournament includes open public practices, a longer halftime and media timeouts, and more interview requirements, including open locker rooms following practices and games and on-the-court interviews.

The Big Ten has adopted some of those things for the conference tournament in an effort to help prepare players and teams for the national tournament.

"This past week helps in terms with that environment," Gard said. "It's very similar."

While making the NCAA Tournament has become commonplace for the Wisconsin program, the Badgers are one of five schools to appear in 25 of the last 27 NCAA tournaments. Gard wanted to emphasize the importance of not changing the things that got the team to this point or becoming jaded by the opportunity.

After all, Big South champion High Point is appearing in only its second NCAA Tournament.

"I always remind myself and everybody else that this doesn't happen easily or by accident," Gard said. "There's a lot of people, a lot of time, and a lot of effort that goes into this. A lot of people have their fingerprints on it. To be able to be in this consistently over the past quarter century is amazing."