MADISON – When Wisconsin’s spot in the NCAA volleyball tournament bracket was revealed Sunday evening, Badgers coach Kelly Sheffield’s attention turned to first-round opponent Fairfield.

Fans of the sport, however, had the luxury of looking ahead to another showdown against the team at the bottom of the UW’s portion of the bracket.

Nebraska earned the overall No. 3 seed for the tournament. If it and the Badgers get to the regional final, the two rivals would square off for a berth in the Final Four.

However, getting to that point in the postseason isn’t Sheffield’s focus right now.

“You’ve got to be really good at taking it one week at a time, one little mini tournament at a time,” said Sheffield, whose team was swept twice by the Cornhuskers this season. “We’ll have four teams and we’re going to try to win that mini tournament of four and then look ahead to see who’s there.

“One thing that I’ve learned over the years is that if you get ahead of yourself it’s doesn’t put yourself in a position to last too long.”

Badgers will host first weekend of matches

Wisconsin is the overall No. 7 seed for the tournament. This marks the 12^th straight season Wisconsin has qualified for the tournament and the fourth straight year it will host the opening weekend of matches.

Georgia Tech (20-9) and Tennessee (15-11) are also coming to the Field House. They are scheduled to play at 4:30 p.m. Thursday. The UW-Fairfield match will follow with an approximate starting time of 7 p.m.

The winners of Thursday’s matches will meet at 7 p.m. Friday for the right to advance to the Sweet 16. Barring an upset of Nebraska, the regional semifinal and final for that portion of the bracket will be hosted by the Cornhuskers.

The Final Four is at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

First things, however, first.

Fairfield (21-11) won the regular season Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title and then clinched a spot in the tournament with victories over Canisius and Quinnipiac in the conference tournament.

“I haven’t played them. I haven’t played anybody in their league, but that is the cool parts of the NCAA Tournament,” Sheffield said. “For months we’ve played teams that we play year after year after year and you get to the NCAA Tournament and most likely, especially that first round, it’s not only schools you haven’t played in most cases it may be from conference where you haven’t played anybody. It’s the magic of the tournament.”

Big Ten Conference is well represented

Nine Big Ten teams made the 64-team field, which ties the ACC and SEC as the conference with the most teams in the field. The Big Ten is the only league with two No. 1 seeds: Penn State, the overall No. 2 seed, and Nebraska, the No. 3.

“I’m not sure I saw any surprise there,” Sheffield said. “I think it shows once again how deep and competitive the conference is. Half of the top four seeds and quite a few of the overall 16 seeds. It’s what we face every weekend.”

Wisconsin finished the regular season with a 23-6 record and finished third in the Big Ten with a 17-3 mark.

The Badgers closed the regular season with a five-set win over Ohio State on Wednesday and a four-set victory over Michigan State on Saturday. Both matches lasted longer than 2 ½ hours.

Freshman libero Lola Schumacher, who missed three matches due to apparent concussion, returned as a defensive specialist for the last two matches. Junior defensive specialist Gulce Guctekin remains sidelined.

“It feels like we’re knocking on the door of putting things together,” Sheffield said. “We’ve played some really good volleyball. There is a lot of experience on this team and they’ve played  a lot of NCAA Tournament matches.

“I know they’re excited to get going. You play the entire regular season to prepare yourself for the NCAA Tournament and this is probably the deepest I’ve ever seen the Tournament. The number of teams I could see getting into a regional final or Final Four is probably the most I can ever remember.”

It is early December and that means the start of Big Ten Conference play for Wisconsin, as they host Michigan on Tuesday night.

This is the first of two league games before the calendar turns to 2025 for the Badgers, as they will also take on Illinois later this month. 

Wisconsin (8-0) is led by John Tonje, as he is averaging over 20 points per game. John Blackwell and Max Klesmit join him in double figures, as all three have knocked down at least 10 three-pointers on the young season.

The Badgers remained unbeaten with a convincing win over Chicago State this past Saturday at home. They have also scored victories over Pittsburgh, UCF and then-No. 9 Arizona to begin the season.

Leading the way for the Wolverines (6-1) is Tre Donaldson, one of four in double figures at 13 a game. They are coming off a 25-point win over then-No. 22 Xavier and have won five straight since a 72-70 loss to Wake Forest. 

Michigan averages just under 81 points a night, shooting 50 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from the 3-point line. 

Wisconsin has dominated the series with the Wolverines, winning 15 of 25 matchups overall. Michigan, though, has won the last two, including a 72-68 decision last year in Ann Arbor, and are 6-4 in the last 10 vs. the Badgers. 

Here are details on how to watch Wisconsin’s contest vs. Michigan on Tuesday, Dec. 3:

Who: Wisconsin vs. Michigan in men’s basketball action

When: 8 p.m. CT | Tuesday, December 5

Where: Kohl Center | Madison, Wisconsin

Live Stream: Stream Wisconsin vs. Michigan live on fuboTV (Start your free trial)

TV Channel: Peacock

Betting Odds: Not available at this time. Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Our Prediction: Wisconsin 68, Michigan 58

Live Updates, Highlights: Follow the game on Wisconsin on SI for live updates, in-game analysis and big-play highlights throughout Monday’s matchup.

MADISON – The Wisconsin volleyball team was doubly good at blocking Saturday night.

The Badgers not only ignored the distraction of the impending NCAA Tournament, but they also rejected Michigan State’s upset bid with one of their best blocking matches of the season.

UW finished with 17 blocks in the 25-19, 26-28, 25-19, 25-18  win, its second-best match of the season in that statistical category. Twelve of those blocks came during the final two sets when Wisconsin held the Spartans to their lowest hitting percentages of the match.

The victory allowed seventh-ranked Wisconsin to finish the regular season with a 23-6 record and Big Ten with a mark of 17-3, which placed them in third place two games behind Big Ten co-champions Nebraska and Penn State.

The win also sent the team’s six seniors out on a high note – the program honored each of them after the match.

Up next is the NCAA Tournament. The bracket will be revealed at 5 p.m. Sunday on ESPN.

“This is the time of year where dreams come true and we’re certainly looking forward to trying to climb that moutain,” UW coach Kelly Sheffield said.

Senior outside hitters Sarah Franklin and Julia Orzol finished the night 1-2 in kills with 23 and 13, respectively. Franklin posted with a .316 hitting percentage and a season-high five blocks. Orzol hit .290 and with 10 digs to record her fifth double-double of the season.

Freshman setter Charlie Fuebringer (46 assists, 12 digs) posted her ninth double-double of the season.

She also tied a career high for six blocks, all of which she recorded during the final two sets.

The Badgers made an adjustment to their block during the match

“We were making a lot of errors when we went high and tried to overpower them,” said senior Devyn Robinson, who has five blocks. “ I feel like getting low and staying steady is something we focused on it paid off in the end.”

“Also not getting jumpy (was key),” added senior right-side hitter Anna Smrek, who posted four blocks.. “Just being patient, trusting our eyes and then making a really explosive, dynamic move.”

Junior middle blocker Carter Booth led Wisconsin with nine blocks, her second-highest match total of the season. Six came during the final two sets when Wisconsin held Michigan State to hitting percentages of .023 and .107.

The match capped a week that also included a five-set win over Ohio State that lasted 2 hours 43 minutes. The match Saturday went 2 hours 31 minutes.

Next UW will turn its attention to its first-round NCAA Tournament match that is expected to be played at the Field House.

“It’s just resetting after each point,” Orzol said of her focus. “It was mentioned before the game. Reset. That is when we’re playing our best volleyball, when we are like goldfish without no memory., not even short memory. It’s always, always forward.”