A look at the complete 2023 NIT bracket: Wisconsin set to host Bradley
Wisconsin has officially accepted a bid to play in the 2023 NIT. While it wasn’t the result Badger fans were hoping for down the stretch, Wisconsin will still be playing basketball and still have a chance to win a postseason tournament.
The Badgers get things started on Tuesday night as they host Bradley at the Kohl Center.
There are a number of usual NCAA tournament regulars in this year’s edition, including Michigan and Oklahoma State. A Michigan-Wisconsin matchup in the championship game? Yes, we are rooting for that too.
Here is a look at all of the NIT round-one matchups and the bracket:
(all times are in CT)
No. 1 Oklahoma State vs. Youngstown State | Wednesday, 6 p.m.
Mar 9, 2023; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Bryce Thompson (1) brings the ball up court during the second half against the Texas Longhorns at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports
The Cowboys were a bubble team heading into Selection Sunday. They end up on the wrong side in a matchup with Horizon League regular season champion Youngstown State in the NIT.
No. 2 Sam Houston vs. Santa Clara | Wednesday, 8 p.m.
March 4, 2023; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Santa Clara Broncos guard Brandin Podziemski (22) dribbles the basketball against the San Francisco Dons during the first half in the quarterfinals of the WCC Basketball Championships at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
WCC Player of the Year Brandin Podziemski leads Santa Clara against Sam Houston out of the Western Athletic Conference.
No. 3 North Texas vs. Alcorn State | Wednesday, 8 p.m.
Mar 10, 2023; Frisco, TX, USA; North Texas Mean Green guard Tylor Perry (5) scores a layup against UAB Blazers guard Tavin Lovan (3) during the second half at Ford Center at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports
North Texas played in a solid Conference USA this season, headlined by Florida Atlantic who are now dancing.
No. 4 Washington State vs. Eastern Washington | Tuesday, 10 p.m.
Mar 9, 2023; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Washington State Cougars guard TJ Bamba (5) reacts after a scoring play against the Oregon Ducks during the second half at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
The talent was there for the Cougars, but due in large part to injuries, they could never put it all together in 2022-23.
No. 1 Oregon vs. UC Irvine | Wednesday, 10 p.m.
Oregon Ducks guard Will Richardson (0) attempts to shoot the ball over Iowa Hawkeyes forward Keegan Murray (15) during the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament on Monday, March 22, 2021, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. Mandatory Credit: Sam Owens/IndyStar via USA TODAY Sports
No dancing for Oregon in 2022-23. They instead get a tough test out of the Big West in regular-season conference champion UC Irvine.
No. 2 Liberty vs. Villanova | Tuesday, 8:30 p.m.
Mar 18, 2017; Buffalo, NY, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard D’Mitrik Trice (0) drives to the basket against Villanova Wildcats guard Donte DiVincenzo (10) in the second half during the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
Could we see a rematch of the above game in round two? It’s certainly possible. Villanova will have a tough test against high-scoring guard Darius McGhee and Liberty.
No. 3 Wisconsin vs. Bradley | Tuesday, 8:30 p.m.
Mar 8, 2023; Chicago, IL, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Tyler Wahl (5) brings the ball up court against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
The Badgers host in round one, as they take on Bradley out of the Missouri Valley. The Braves won the regular-season title but came up short in the championship game at Arch Madness.
No. 4 Florida vs. UCF | Wednesday, 6 p.m.
Florida head coach Todd Golden disputes a call during the first half of a second round SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament game against Mississippi State at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, March 9, 2023.
Todd Golden is NIT bound in year one at Florida. The Gators get an in-state matchup against UCF.
No. 1 Rutgers vs. Hofstra | Tuesday, 6 p.m.
Feb 18, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights center Clifford Omoruyi (11) and guard Cam Spencer (10) celebrate the Scarlet Knights 58-57 win over the Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Center. Mandatory Credit: Kayla Wolf-USA TODAY Sports
The biggest NCAA Tournament snub will have a chance for redemption. It starts against Hofstra in round one.
No. 2 Colorado vs. Seton Hall | Tuesday, 10 p.m.
Mar 8, 2023; New York, NY, USA; Seton Hall Pirates forward KC Ndefo (13) reacts during the second half against the DePaul Blue Demons at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
A battle of two high-major squads in round one.
No. 3 New Mexico vs. Utah Valley | Wednesday, 9 p.m.
Dec 15, 2020; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Valley Wolverines head coach Mark Madsen reacts in the first half against the Utah Utes at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Utah Valley were victim of one of the biggest collapses you will ever see, and came up short in the WAC tournament.
No. 4 Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech | Wednesday, 9 p.m.
Mar 8, 2023; Greensboro, NC, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies forward Justyn Mutts (25) drives to the basket past North Carolina State Wolfpack forward Ebenezer Dowuona (21) during the second half of the second round of the ACC tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
No. 1 Clemson vs. Morehead State | Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Dec 9, 2020; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson junior guard John Newman III (15) pressures Maryland junior guard Aaron Wiggins (2) near Clemson Head Coach Brad Brownell during the first half of the ACC/BIG10 Challenge game at Littlejohn Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports
Clemson was also a bubble team, but the weakness of the ACC ended up costing them overall.
No. 2 Vanderbilt vs. Yale | Tuesday, 9 p.m.
Vanderbilt head coach Jerry Stackhouse yells at his player during the first half of a semifinal SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament game against Texas A&M at Bridgestone Arena Saturday, March 11, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn.
Vanderbilt might be the hottest team in the country, but a poor first half of the season cost them an NCAA Tournament bid.
No. 3 Michigan vs. Toledo |Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Feb 14, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Michigan Wolverines center Hunter Dickinson (1) picks up his dribble under coverage by Wisconsin Badgers forward Steven Crowl (22) during the first half at the Kohl Center. Mandatory Credit: Kayla Wolf-USA TODAY Sports
Michigan came up just short in their NCAA Tournament quest, and will take on the regular-season MAC champion in Toledo.
No. 4 UAB vs. Southern Miss | Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
Mar 11, 2023; Frisco, TX, USA; UAB Blazers guard Jordan Walker (10) drives to the basket against Florida Atlantic Owls guard Bryan Greenlee (4) during the first half at Ford Center at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports
Jordan Walker is must-see TV and UAB has a decent chance for a deep NIT run.
The complete bracket:
The NIT bracket originally put out by the NCAA had Wisconsin as a 3-seed. There was a transcription error, and we are actually a 2-seed.
Our game is still vs. Bradley on Tuesday, 8:30pm at the Kohl Center
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— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) March 13, 2023
