CHICAGO – Condolences to anyone who drawsWisconsinin theMen's NCAA Tournament.
At 24-10, with regular-season losses to Oregon, USC and Indiana, theBadgersmight not show up on many lists ofprojected Final Four teams. But after watching them handle Illinois and then punch Michigan in the mouth at theBig Ten tournament, don't be surprised if Wisconsin makes a deep run over the next three weeks.
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"We've all grown," Austin Rapp said after scoring 18 points, all on 3-pointers, in the last 10 minutes as Wisconsin erased a 15-point deficit before falling to Michigan 68-65 on alast-second 3-pointer by Yaxel Lendeborg.
"We're starting to show we can compete with anyone in the country."
Just ask the Wolverines.
Michigan is outscoring opponents by more than 18 points a game, and all but seven of its 31 wins were by double figures. It has a player of the year candidate in Lendeborg, and the Big Ten defensive player of the year in Aday Mara.
But the Wolverineshad already lost to Wisconsinonce before Saturday's Big Ten semifinals, its only conference loss during the regular season, and the Badgers almost made it two.
"We know we're a pretty good team," Lendeborg said. "We haven't had many opportunities or games like this where we felt that kind of game pressure."
No one is ever going to call Wisconsin flashy. They don't have a roster of All-Americans. All anythings, actually. They didn't even have experience at the beginning of the year, with seven of the eight players on the floor against Michigan in their first seasons at Wisconsin.
But the Badgers are also not easily containable.
They have slick guards, yes, with Nick Boyd and John Blackwell making a case for the best backcourt in the country. But they also have big guys who can shoot, which can make them a nightmare to defend.
Besides the six 3s from Rapp, who is 6-10, Wisconsin got three 3s from Aleksas Bieliauskas, who is also 6-10. Nolan Winter, a 7-footer who missed his fourth game with an ankle injury, went 3-of-4 from long range in the regular-season win over Michigan.
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"I think we probably make a lot of teams uncomfortable because of that attribute to our team," Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said.
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The Badgers have had big shooters before. That team that went to back-to-back Final Fours in 2013 and 2014 was led by Frank Kaminsky. But the difference is this Wisconsin offense is more versatile than the typically stodgy Badgers.
Take away the paint, and the bigs can light you up from outside. Don't let them get good looks, and Boyd and Blackwell will tag you for 50.
"That's one thing we try to embed in these guys is you've got to keep shooting. You've got to stay with your confidence," Gard said. "I don't want them gun shy. I don't want them overthinking it and becoming hesitant because when we are spraying 3s, it opens up so much more and then the guards can get downhill."
They also can score a lot in a hurry. In the first half, it took about 2½ minutes for the Badgers to turn a tie game into a seven-point lead. Rapp made five 3-pointers in a row in just three minutes.
Gard and his players are the first to acknowledge they wouldn't have put a scare in NCAA Tournament opponents earlier in the season. Heck, maybe even a few weeks ago. But their three games at the Big Ten tournament were invaluable, especially for younger players like Rapp and Bieliauskas.
Wisconsin opened the conference tournament with a win over Washington.
"I think this group understands how good they are, but you get to this point and time of the year, they're all good," Gard said. "So just understanding and keeping in mind what makes us good and stay true to that and do it better and keep getting better.
"That's what I said a week ago when we won at Purdue, this group has gotten better," he added. "I think we can still get better."
So spare a thought for anyone who sees Wisconsin in their path Selection Sunday. They're going to need it.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Anyone who faces Wisconsin in NCAA Tournament should be wary
