Badgers’ Seed Watch + Ben Brust Doesn’t Buy Duke (Or Alabama) | March Mode Ep. 1

March Mode is live. ESPN Wisconsin’s Alex Strouf and Wisconsin legend Ben Brust kick off a twice-weekly NCAA Tournament sprint with a full breakdown of the Wisconsin Badgers as March arrives. The Badgers looked like two different teams on the West Coast: a rough loss at Oregon, then a 17-point win at Washington sparked by Braden Carrington’s 32 points and 9 threes. So what does it mean for Wisconsin’s NCAA Tournament seed, their Big Ten Tournament outlook, and the matchups they do (and do not) want? Plus: Ben gives his take on the national title picture, the conferences he trusts most, why he’s skeptical of Duke in March, and quick-hits on Big Ten contenders like Michigan, Illinois, Michigan State, Purdue, Nebraska, and Iowa. Drop your questions in the comments and we’ll hit them on the next episode. Chapters 0:00 March Mode begins 0:56 Badgers: Oregon loss, Washington blowout 2:30 NCAA Tournament seeding: 7 seed vs 6 seed conversation 5:06 Matchups the Badgers should avoid 6:00 Wisconsin’s analytics jump (KenPom/Bart Torvik talk) 10:55 Maryland + Purdue preview 15:20 National contenders and why Ben doubts Duke 22:25 Big Ten “say something nice” lightning round 28:20 Audience questions callout + Ben’s March résumé