Friday night, millions of tiny voices screamed out in agony as brackets everywhere were torn asunder. Consistent and accountable No. 2-seeded Duke had lost to No. 15-seeded Lehigh 75-70.

Up to that point, March was not quite so mad or chaotic like its nickname promises. But with the Missouri loss to Norfolk State only a few hours prior to Duke’s loss, things were finally starting to pick up.

But this year still has some convincing to do.

There has yet to be that classic matchup where the underdog takes it to the final minute only to hit that buzzer-beater and seal the upset. In the case of Duke and Lehigh, Duke simply appeared as if it forgot that it was in a season-ending situation.

Missouri’s 86-84 loss to Norfolk State appears much closer in ending score than the game actually was in the final minutes. Norfolk State took the lead 76-75 with 4:15 left in the game after a pair of baskets from the charity stripe and would not relinquish the lead for the rest of the game.

Simply put, March just is not as insane as it has been in years past – yet.

That’s where Wisconsin comes in.

Wisconsin has not made huge waves in the tournament up to this point. They have not garnered much attention – in traditional Badger form – but that’s not to say they aren’t still playing strongly.

Squaring off with Montana in the first round, it was no small belief the Badgers would be making an early exit. Well, winning by a margin of 24 points in the 73-49 decision quieted those critics. The combination of Ryan Evans and Jordan Taylor – who posted 18 and 17 points respectively – drove the Badgers into the round of 32 for a match up with a scary Vanderbilt team.

Again, not much was expected of Wisconsin. The Commodores had just downed overall No. 1 Kentucky, 71-64, for the SEC tournament title and manhandled a hot Harvard squad in the first round of the big dance 79-70.

Vanderbilt certainly seemed to spell doom for Wisconsin as many – including yours truly – did not think the Badgers would make it past the second round.

But with solid numbers shared throughout the team – five players posted in the double digits – the Badgers staved off their typical second-half cold streak to pull away with the 60-57 victory.

Through the second half, the Badgers only trailed twice – once at the beginning of the half for about a two-minute stretch that ended with a Jared Berggren 3-pointer that resulted from a Mike Breusewitz steal. Taking a 35-33 lead, UW wouldn’t trail again until the 2:21 mark as Vandy’s Festus Ezeli put the Commodores up 57-56. But Taylor came right back with a 3-pointer, which effectively sealed a ticket to the Sweet 16 for the Badgers.

And who would be waiting for them there other than Syracuse.

It’s been a rough run for the Orange after losing their top defensive threat in Fab Melo to ineligibility issues. In the first round Syracuse squeaked by UNC-Ashville 72-65 after a few favorable calls swayed the momentum of the game.

With Thursday’s matchup, the Badgers are primed to spike the punch and jazz up this year’s Big Dance.

So far the Badgers have played a consistent game that they’ve given on their best days. They have not gotten cold and have had plenty of scoring help from around the team and significant help from the bench.

Against Vanderbilt, Brust was the star off the bench, putting up 11 points and grabbing four rebounds in 19 minutes on the floor. But Evans, Taylor, Bruesewitz and Berggren each put up 11, 14, 10 and 12 points respectively en route to one of their most solid all-around performances of the year.

If they stay this consistent it is entirely logical they could be Syracuse – which could lead to a potential faceoff with conference foe Ohio State. But regardless of potential matchups, Wisconsin faces a beautiful opportunity to make a deep run through the tourney this year and turn the Madness of March up another notch.

If you asked me my opinion on that two days ago, you would have received the most pessimistic response, but the planets just seem to be aligning for the Badgers in such a great way that they simply need take advantage of by staying consistent.

Kelly is a junior majoring in journalism. What March Madness matchup are you most hoping to see? Let her know your thoughts via Twitter @kellymerickson or send her an email at [email protected].