[media-credit name=’DEREK MONTGOMERY/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]The Madness begins this weekend for Wisconsin, as the Badgers kick off the NCAA tournament Friday in Oklahoma City. First on the UW dance card is Northern Iowa, a dangerous 11 seed out of the Missouri Valley Conference.

“Everybody’s a nothing-to-lose team now,” forward Ray Nixon said. “You lose, you’re out, so every team’s going to come in scratching and biting.”

Greg McDermott’s squad enters the tournament with an impressive regular-season resume. The Panthers (21-10, 11-7 MVC) notched a win over Southern Illinois (26-7, 15-3 MVC), the seven seed in the Chicago region, and had a number of tight finishes against tournament teams. Northern Iowa took Cincinnati, the seven seed in Austin, to double overtime, had a pair of one-point losses to 10-seed Creighton, and lost by just three against then-No. 17 Iowa, the 10 seed in the Austin region.

“I don’t think they’re worried about a whole lot, considering who they’ve played, where they’ve played,” head coach Bo Ryan said. “If I’m them, I’m sitting there going, ‘Hey, we’ve done this. We can do that.’ I don’t think they’re worried a whole lot about who they’re playing. They’re concerned, I’m sure, with making sure they do what they do well.”

The Panthers will look to again play the role of spoiler after giving Georgia Tech a first-round scare in last season’s Dance. With a second-half charge, the Panthers nearly knocked off the eventual national runner-up. The Yellow Jackets escaped with a 65-60 win after entering the intermission with a 12-point lead.

“Everybody has a chance to lose. That’s why you play the game,” guard Sharif Chambliss said. “Everybody has a chance to win. We got to go out there and we got to execute. I think it’s all on us.”

Talented sniper Ben Jacobson, who leads the Panthers with 17.8 points per game this season, played 40 minutes in last season’s first-round game against Georgia Tech. This season, the junior returns with his sights set on another eye-opening first-round effort. The Badgers will look to come out firing, as the Panthers could be dangerous if they gain confidence in the early going.

“We definitely got to come out the aggressor,” Chambliss said. “We can’t have our backs on the rope. We got to come out, we got to be throwing the punches hard and put them on their heels.”

With Jacobson and his .453 3-point-shooting percentage leading the way, the Panthers can light it up from beyond the arc. Jacobson and backcourt mate Erik Crawford each shoot better than 40 percent from long range.

“They have an All-American candidate in Jacobson,” guard Kammron Taylor said. “He can shoot it with the best in the country.”

Friday’s matchup presents an intriguing perimeter battle, as the sharpshooting Panthers butt heads with the Big Ten’s top-rated perimeter defense. Wisconsin has allowed opponents to shoot just 29.5 percent from 3-point range this season.

Another interesting matchup will take place on the sidelines, as McDermott squares off against Ryan. McDermott, a coach with ties to Ryan, has integrated elements of Ryan’s swing offense into the Panther’s offensive scheme.

“They are a well-coached team,” Taylor said. “They run some of the swing. I guess their coach is real cool with our coach, so they know a lot of the swing.”

Though the Panthers feature four players with double-digit scoring averages, guard play will be critical in Friday’s matchup, as Jacobson and Crawford are the squad’s leading scorers. Freshman guard Michael Flowers, who has seen his minutes continue to increase, may see time guarding Jacobson if the sniper gets hot. Taylor, whose minutes have fluctuated recently, will also need to bring energy on the defensive end against a Northern Iowa squad that relies on perimeter scoring.

“I’m definitely ready for the challenge,” Taylor said. “Playing in the Big Ten conference, playing against Illinois three times, and Michigan State, has definitely got me ready to go against the top guards in the nation.”

While the Badgers will not take Northern Iowa lightly, Wisconsin’s focus in the days leading up to the tournament will be on improving their own game.

“Basically, we want to get our game down to where it should be,” forward Ray Nixon said. “We always have to respect our opponent, but if we can get our game to where [it] needs to be and where it can be, I think we’ll be all right in the tournament.”

On the offensive end, the Badgers will look to the post. Mike Wilkinson and Alando Tucker have been Wisconsin’s offensive catalysts all season long. Establishing the frontcourt duo remains the Badgers’ top offensive priority.

“It’s important to get Tuck and Wilk going,” Taylor said. “Those are our two big guns. We got to make sure they get going. If they go, it seems like the team goes.”

Making his fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament, Wilkinson headlines a senior class that has gone dancing in ever year of their collegiate careers. In their final tip to the Big Dance, the UW senior class is as hungry as ever.

“We want more,” Ryan said. “It’s fun to want, but you got to go get. We’re going to try to go get some more.”

After coming within a game of the Big Ten tournament title, Wisconsin heads to Oklahoma City with one more shot at a championship.

“Our goal has always been championships,” Ryan said. “That’s what you try for. We tried for that in the regular season, we tried for that in the Big Ten tournament. All right, now comes another chance to try for something.”