#6 BYU vs #3 Wisconsin NCAAB Pick: A Balanced 2nd-Round Clash (Mar 22)

• BYU had no trouble dispatching VCU, defeating them 80-71 to advance.
• Wisconsin handled business in an 85-66 thumping of 14-seed Montana.
• These teams last met on November 26, 2011, in a game that Wisconsin won 73-56.

BYU and Wisconsin face off in the second round in a coin-flip matchup. The Big Ten has had a strong start as a conference, and the Badgers will aim to keep that going against BYU. The winner here will earn a Sweet 16 matchup against either 2-seed Alabama or 7-seed St. Mary’s.

BYU Flying Under the Radar

BYU dominated VCU in their first-round matchup, cruising into this game with Wisconsin. Their confident victory has this game pegged as a toss-up, despite the Cougars being three seed lines lower. BYU had a very balanced effort against VCU, with three players scoring 13 points or more. They’ll aim to carry their momentum and experience into a 2nd weekend trip.

Wisconsin Stays Red-Hot

The Big-10 went 8-0 in the first round with most of the teams winning by large margins. Wisconsin was no different, dispatching Montana with ease. The Badgers got red-hot at the end of the season prior to losing to Michigan in a competitive Big-10 final, and have the potential to make it out of their region. First, they face a much tougher clash with BYU.

BYU Cougars vs Wisconsin Badgers Pick

I underestimated BYU in the first round, having thought that VCU might get the better of them. I’m not making that mistake again, although I’m also not confident they’ll prove me wrong by picking against them again. Wisconsin is a whole different monster from VCU and Big-10 teams have looked far from beatable so far. You can lock in Wisconsin to win this game.