NCAA March Madness Basketball Tournament: Badgers To Face Hokies And Golden Eagles To Face Gamecocks In First Round

BUFFALO, NY — The NCAA March Madness Tournament field of 68 has been selected and both Wisconsin and Marquette landed in the East region.

The Badgers will face the Virginia Tech Hokies in an interesting 8-9 matchup. The Badgers didn't finish the season strong in the final stretch of the regular season, dropping five of their last six games before losing the Big Ten Championship to 8-seed Michigan. Conversely, the undersized and athletic Hokies have been tough to beat all season in the ACC. However, the loss of sophomore power forward, Chris Clarke to a season ending injury might work to the Badger's favor.

The Badgers and the Hokies tip-off on Thursday, March 16 in Buffalo.

The 10-seeded Marquette Golden Eagles will be facing the 7-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks in round one. The Golden Eagles are a real threat with their deep ball, leading the nation in 3-point shooting percentage. However, the Gamecocks have been tough to beat this season due to their defensive play making this 7-10 matchup intriguing. This could be a tough game for the Golden Eagles given that this will effectively be a home game for the Gamecocks.

The Golden Eagles and the Gamecocks tip-off on Friday, March 17 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, South Carolina

Download a printable NCAA March Madness bracket sheet.

Key NCAA Tournament Locations and Dates:

2017 NCAA Tournament First Four Dayton (March 14-15)

First and Second Rounds Buffalo, Milwaukee, Orlando, Salt Lake City (March 16, 18) Greenville, Indianapolis, Tulsa, Sacramento (March 17, 19)

Regionals Kansas City, San Jose (March 23, 25) Memphis, New York (March 24, 26)

Final Four Phoenix (April 1, 3)

Image: Public domain