NCAA Tournament: Marquette, Wisconsin men's basketball eye Sweet 16
Marquette (left) and Wisconsin (right)
MILWAUKEE - The Marquette and Wisconsin men's basketball teams are dancing this week with the hope of winning two games and advancing to the Sweet 16.
"We're grateful to be in a tournament. We're excited to be in a tournament, but we're not satisfied just to be in it," said Marquette head coach Shaka Smart.
For the second straight year, the Golden Eagles are a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament – and they don't want to get pounced on the opening weekend for a third year in a row.
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"You know, I told our guys, 18% of Division I players get to play in the NCAA Tournament every year," Smart said. "We're grateful to even be in the tournament, but to earn this good of a seed, it's great for our team, it's great for our fans, and now we want to make the most of it."
All eyes are on the oblique of Tyler Kolek. Marquette's All-American guard has missed the last six games, and the hope is that he will play Friday against Western Kentucky.
"Hopefully that's the end of that, you know, for this year," said Smart. "We understand he won't be here forever but, you know, for the rest of this year, we want him leading the charge."
Other Marquette players, including Kam Jones, have led the charge in Kolek's absence. He said it has reminded him that he can be the team's primary ball-handler, but he still cannot wait for his teammate's return.
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"It was a kind of a reminder of, you know, ‘I can do that,’" Jones said. "Growing up, I mean, I've had to play point guard. So I know those – I've always known that's something I could do. But if you got Tyler Kolek, you don't really have to. So, I mean, I, like I said, it's a pretty good reminder."
Not only Kolek is banged up; many Marquette players are dealing with nagging bumps and bruises. David Joplin said they have to play through it.
"No one's body is feeling great right now. Everybody's something is hurting, but we can push past that. We got more. We can do recovery, do the best we can to get to the game and then when we get there, there's always more in us that we can bring up," he said.
Wisconsin may be a No. 5 seed, but the team is feeling good after a deep run in the Big Ten Tournament.
Where to watch March Madness on streaming devices, broadcast
March Madness, the highly anticipated college basketball tournament, is set to commence this week with fans eagerly awaiting the matchups following Selection Sunday.
"The goal is here to go win six games. That's the goal. Is this group good enough to do it? If we play really well," said Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard.
Some see the Badgers' opening-round opponent, No. 12 seed James Madison, as this year's Cinderella. But Chucky Hepburn said he will make sure the team is ready.
"I don't want to just make March Madness. I want to make a deep run in this tournament," he said. "I'm just trying to lock in, you know, make sure my teammates are locked in, and I really want to make a deep run in this tournament."
While the Badgers' stock appears to be on an uptick, it was not always that way. From the start of February to the end of the regular season, the team went 3-8. Gard said his team has responded.
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"You're going to have some bumps along the way. You try not to make them last three weeks, but you're going to have some," he said. "How do you respond to it in this group has responded to it exceptionally well."
Hepburn has been a huge part of that. He upped his game in Minnesota, including a big bucket against Purdue. His mentality? Seeing red.
"Thirsty for blood, so I got to say thirsty for blood," he said. "Killer instinct. Everybody getting it."
Both teams are locked in, but will it result in a national title? We'll see when the madness begins on Friday, March 22.