March Madness: Badgers play Virginia Tech Thursday, Marquette plays South Carolina Friday

MILWAUKEE -- The Wisconsin Badgers and Marquette University Golden Eagles on Wednesday, March 15th were gearing up for the big dance -- both teams getting ready for their first-round NCAA Tournament games.

The No. 8 seed Wisconsin Badgers will face No. 9 Virginia Tech on Thursday, March 16th in Buffalo, New York at 8:40 p.m.

The No. 10 Marquette University Golden Eagles will face No. 7 South Carolina on Friday, March 17th in Greenville, South Carolina at 8:50 p.m.

Whether you've accepted the Badgers' No. 8 seed, or you're still trying to figure out the reasoning behind it, on Wednesday, the Badgers were just one day away from their first-round game vs. Buzz Williams' Virginia Tech Hokies. If there's one advantage Wisconsin has heading into this game, it is their tournament experience.

This marks the Badgers' 19th straight NCAA Tournament, while the Hokies have not danced since 2007.

Wednesday was travel day for the Marquette University Golden Eagles. They boarded a plane to head to Greenville, South Carolina for their first-round game on Friday night -- their first game in the Big Dance under MU Head Coach Steve Wojciechowski.

It's MU's first trip to the Big Dance since 2012.

"It's a first time experience and we finally get the chance to but we can't be satisfied with just making the tournament. We have to actually try and win games in the tournament," Duane Wilson, MU guard said.

"You dream of this growing up as a kid and now it's coming to reality, so just trying to take it all in and make the best out of the experience," Sam Hauser, MU guard said.

The Golden Eagles are the nation's top three-point shooting team, but the South Carolina Gamecocks bring a pretty tough defense, ranking 28th in the nation in points allowed.

Marquette University pre-game press conferences took place on Thursday.