• NCAA Tournament Bracket
MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin men's basketball team (20-12) received the No. 7 seed in the East Region and will face 10th-seeded Pittsburgh (21-11) in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament on Friday in St. Louis. The game tips off at 5:50 p.m. and will air live on TNT.
Wisconsin is making its 18th-consecutive trip to the Big Dance, the nation's fourth-longest active streak and the fifth-longest in the history of the NCAA tournament.
Wisconsin is making its 22nd NCAA tournament appearance all-time, owning a program record of 34-20 (.630) in the tournament. The Badgers are coming off back-to-back Final Fours, including an appearance in the 2015 national championship game. The Badgers will take aim at a third-consecutive Final Four, something only 11 schools have done in the history of the NCAA tournament. The most recent team to turn the three-peat was UCLA (2006-08).
The Badgers have advanced to the Sweet 16 or beyond in four of the last five years and eight times since 2000.
The winner of the first-round matchup between Wisconsin and Pittsburgh will face the winner of a game between No. 2 seed Xavier and No. 15 seed Weber State in the second round on Sunday, March 20.
The winner of that second-round contest will advance to the East Regional, March 25 and 27 in Philadelphia.
The Badgers are 11-7 all-time vs. Pittsburgh, including an 89-75 win in the teams' last meeting on Dec. 16, 2006, when seventh-ranked Wisconsin got 32 points from Alando Tucker and 27 from Brian Butch to down the No. 2-ranked Panthers at the Kohl Center.
The teams have met twice in the NCAA tournament, splitting those games. UW claimed a 36-30 win over the Panthers in Madison on its way to the 1941 national championship. In 2004, third-seeded Pittsburgh scored a 59-55 win over No. 6 seed Wisconsin in a second-round game in Milwaukee.
Pittsburgh earned an at-large bid after posting a 9-9 record in the ACC regular season and falling to eventual champion North Carolina in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament. The Panthers return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since making back-to-back appearances in 2013 and 2014. Pitt made 10 consecutive tournament appearances from 2002-11.
Important news regarding NCAA tournament tickets
The Wisconsin Athletic Ticket Office will accept requests for first/second round NCAA tournament tickets beginning Sunday, March 13 at 7 p.m., and ending Monday, March 14 at 1 p.m. online at UWBadgers.com. For your convenience, requests will also be accepted by phone on Monday, March 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. by calling 1-800-GO-BADGERS. Requests will only be accepted from 2016 donors to Wisconsin Athletics and current men's basketball season ticket holders.
Patrons will be notified via e-mail as to the status of their request on Monday afternoon. Patrons who make requests but do not receive an e-mail notification regarding their request should contact the Athletic Ticket Office. No conditional ticket requests will be accepted based on ticket price, seat location, etc. If a request is granted, no refunds are available.
If tickets remain after the initial offering to donors and men's basketball season ticket holders, tickets will be sold to the general public beginning at 3 p.m. on Monday, March 14. If there is a general public ticket sale, fans can purchase tickets online at UWBadgers.com or by calling the Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-BADGERS.
Second round tickets are $100 or $76, depending on location. If Wisconsin advances, third round tickets will also be $100 or $76. Patrons will automatically receive third round tickets if Wisconsin wins its second round game. If Wisconsin does not win its second round game, patrons will not receive tickets for the third round.
