MADISON, Wis. — No. 7 Wisconsin (23-6) was selected as the second seed in the Nebraska regional and the No. 7 seed overall in the 2024 NCAA tournament, and will host the first and second rounds in the UW Field House on Thursday and Friday night.

Before the match begins, here are six things to know: 

1. THE ROAD TO LOUISVILLE STARTS HERE: Action begins on Thursday as Georgia Tech faces off against Tennessee at 4:30 p.m., followed by Wisconsin's match against Fairfield at 7 p.m. or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first match. The first-round winners will advance to the second round at 7 p.m. on Friday night at the UW Field House.

2. BADGERS IN THE TOURNEY: The Badgers hold a 67-21 (.761) all-time record in the program's 27 NCAA tournament appearances. UW is 39-10 under Sheffield in 11 years in the championship, advancing to at least the Sweet 16 round of play each season, including five appearances in the national championship final four. Last season, the Badgers advanced all the way to the Final Four before falling 1-3 to Texas, the eventual national champions. 

3. FIELD HOUSE ADVANTAGE: This season, the Badges held a 13-1 record at home. Prior to the loss vs No. 2 Nebraska, UW had not dropped a match at home since the Regional Final match of the 2022 season vs Pitt, that makes a 25-match win streak. When hosting in the NCAA tournament, the Badgers hold a record of 48-5, and in the Sheffield era Wisconsin is 26-2 at home.

4. THIS IS B1G: Six Badgers earned All-Big Ten honors this week:
Player of the Year: Sarah Franklin
All-Big Ten First Team
SARAH FRANKLIN
Anna Smrek
All-Big Ten Second Team
Carter Booth
Charlie Fuerbringer
Julia Orzol
All-Freshman Team
CHARLIE FUERBRINGER
Lola Schumacher
Sportsmanship Honorees
Julia Orzol

5. BY THE NUMBERS: Nationally, the Badgers rank in the Top 35 in the following categories:
Blocks per set //1st with 3.07 blocks per set.
Hitting % // 8th at .291
Assists per set // 21st at 12.96
Kills per set // 30th at 13.74
Team Total Blocks // 6th with 322.5
Individually, outside hitter Sarah Franklin leads the team offensively.
4.48 kills per set // 17th in the NCAA, 2nd in the Big Ten.
5.00 points per set // 24th in the NCAA, 4th in the B1G.
11.49 attacks per set // 326th in the NCAA, 2nd in the B1G.
Freshman setter Charlie Fuerbringer continues to improve as the 2024 season continues.
10.81 assists per set // 15th in the NCAA, 4th in the B1G.
The "Great Wall of Madison" AKA Carter Booth (6th), Anna Smrek (8th), and CC Crawford (15th), Devyn Robinson (29th) all rank in the Top 25 in the Big Ten in blocks per set.
Booth (1.29), Smrek (1.23), Crawford (1.13), and Robinson (.98).

6. SCOUTING THE STAGS: This marks the first meeting between Wisconsin and Fairfield. As a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), Fairfield held a 21-11 overall record. The Stags clinched the tournament berth with an auto-bid after winning the 2024 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship. They are coming into the tournament on a six-match win streak.