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NCAA Tournament: Storylines For Every Sweet 16 Team

By Nathan Giese

Mar 20, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) celebrates defeating the Virginia Commonwealth Rams 85-81 during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 20, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) celebrates defeating the Virginia Commonwealth Rams 85-81 during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 20, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard and his team look on during the second half in the second round against the Xavier Musketeers of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 20, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard and his team look on during the second half in the second round against the Xavier Musketeers of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

Wisconsin Badgers: Should We DisreGARD Their Early Season Struggles?

You can’t lose to Western Illinois, a team that’s won 28 games in the last three years combined, and expect people to forget.

Except that’s exactly what the Badgers have made people do. Actually, it’s been Greg Gard that’s made people forget. Since their deplorable non-conference performance, Wisconsin rallied around their new head coach and finished tied for third in the Big Ten.

That shocking loss only becomes more shocking when you consider how the Badgers are now in the Sweet 16, when you consider most of their team is new and when you consider Nigel Hayes, their leading scorer, went 5-of-27 from the field in their first two NCAA tournament games.

Wisconsin has seemingly erased those early-season struggles. It’s almost as if they never happened.

Can Greg Gard keep this run going and get to the Elite Eight after losing five of the Badgers’ top seven players from last season’s run to the national title game, or is this high-major version of Cinderella about to have her carriage turn into a pumpkin?

Next: Cavaliers Avoid Kryptonite?