WASHINGTON — The Wisconsin men's basketball team (25-9) received the No. 8 seed in the East Region and will face ninth-seeded Virginia Tech (22-10) in the opening round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament on Thursday at approximately 8:40 p.m. (CT) on CBS in Buffalo, New York. The game time will be announced later Sunday evening.
Wisconsin is making its 19th-consecutive trip to The Big Dance, the fourth-longest active streak and the fifth-longest in the history of the NCAA tournament.
UW and Virginia Tech have played just once previously when the Badgers pulled off a 74-72 win in Blacksburg, Virginia, in the 2008 Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Wisconsin is making its 23rd all-time NCAA tournament appearance, owning a program record of 36-21 (.630) in the tournament. The Badgers have reached the Sweet 16 or better in each of the last three seasons, the nation's only team to make that claim. Wisconsin's 11 NCAA tournament wins over the last three seasons are also tops in the NCAA.
Overall, the Badgers have also advanced to the Sweet 16 or better in five of the last six years and nine times since 2000.
The winner of the opening-round matchup will face the winner of a game between No. 1 seed Villanova and No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary's or New Orleans in the round of 32 on Saturday, March 18.
Virginia Tech is making its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2007. This will be the Hokies' ninth appearance, owning a record of 6-8 in The Big Dance.
Important News Regarding NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament TicketsÂ
The Wisconsin Athletic Ticket Office will be accepting requests for first/second round NCAA Tournament tickets beginning Sunday, March 12 at 7 p.m. (CT), and ending Monday, March 13 at 1 p.m. online at UWBadgers.com. For your convenience, requests will also be accepted by phone on Monday, March 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. by calling 1.800.GO BADGERS. Requests will only be accepted from 2016 donors to Wisconsin Athletics and current men's basketball season ticket holders. Patrons will be notified via e-mail as to the status of their request on Monday evening. Patrons who make requests but do not receive an e-mail notification regarding their request should contact the Athletic Ticket Office. No conditional ticket requests will be accepted based on ticket price, seat location, etc. If a request is granted, no refunds are available.
If tickets remain after the initial offering to donors and men's basketball season ticket holders, tickets will be sold to the general public beginning at 3 p.m. on Monday, March 13. If there is a general public ticket sale, fans can purchase tickets online at UWBadgers.com or by calling the Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-BADGERS.
First round tickets are $100 or $76, depending on location. If Wisconsin advances, second round tickets will also be $100 or $76, Patrons will automatically receive second round tickets if Wisconsin wins its first round game. If Wisconsin does not win its first round game, patrons will not receive tickets for the second round.
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