Unexpected lineup for East region at MSG

NEW YORK » 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 March 24, eighthseeded 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 sevenyear span. Baylor is making its fourth regional semifinal appearance since 2010.

South Carolina? The Gamecocks won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 1973. Last year, South Carolina was mistakenly told on Selection Sunday that it was in the field.

“Privately, in my own home with my wife, when I spoke to my mom, when I spoke to guys that raised me, I let them know, ‘This ain’t right, these kids deserve to be there,”’ South Carolina coach Frank Martin said Thursday. “But being around guys like (Sindarius) Thornwell allowed me to understand, I got a responsibility here to get them in for the next opportunity. It’s here and it’s been an unbelievable ride. I’m happy they’re experiencing it right now.”

The Gamecocks came into the NCAA Tournament having lost two straight and five of seven. Now they’re on a roll that includes wins over Marquette and Duke.

“It means a lot. For us, for our first time and our last time playing at the university means a lot, because when we came in our ultimate goal was to make it to the tournament,” said Thornwell, the Southeastern Conference player of the year. “We didn’t get that chance our first three years and for us to get this opportunity this year heading out is a blessing for us, and it’s good for the basketball program, and also for us to still be playing and make it to the tournament. Making a run is huge for everybody.”

Wisconsin, which many felt was underseeded as a No. 8, comes in having just beaten the overall No. 1 seed, Villanova.