NEW YORK (AP) – The folks at Madison Square Garden were drooling at the thought of a Duke-Villanova regional final. Two schools that consider the Garden a home away from home in a No. 1 seed vs. No. 2 seed dream matchup that would make MSG the place to be this weekend.
Instead, there are four football schools fighting for a berth in basketball’s Final Four.
On Friday night, eighth-seeded Wisconsin plays fourth-seeded Florida, while third-seeded Baylor meets seventh-seeded South Carolina.
No team left in the NCAA Tournament is as used to being in the Sweet 16 as Wisconsin. The Badgers are in their fourth straight regional semifinal, a feat no other team can claim. They have also been in the round 16 six of the last seven years.
Florida is making its fifth straight Sweet 16 appearance, but it’s over a seven-year span. Baylor is making its fourth regional semifinal appearance since 2010.