MADISON, Wis. — This year’s Selection Sunday was just like any other. It set social media ablaze and created countless hurricanes of discourse.

Ultimately, most fan bases were just upset about their team’s seeding.

Badgers fans, on the other hand, were upset about everything else; notably getting just three days of rest, and, more importantly, the location.

Some media outlets had predicted the Badgers would play close to home, as the No. 3-seed in Milwaukee. That didn’t happen.

The Badgers will instead travel to Denver, Colorado, where they’ll face the No. 14-seeded Montana Grizzlies on Thursday afternoon.

Because of the reaction, it’s become worth asking — was this a fair outcome for Wisconsin? Did the Badgers get screwed?

There was a point, not too long ago, where it felt like the Badgers could potentially compete for a No. 2-seed. They were ranked No. 11 in late February and had a path to winning the Big Ten, given their relatively easy remaining schedule.

Then they choked away a 17-point lead against Oregon. And then a 13-pointer against Penn State in the regular season finale.

Wisconsin rebounded in the Big Ten Tournament with impressive wins over UCLA and Michigan State, but still lost in the final to Michigan, who ended up as a No. 5-seed.

After all that, the committee was supposed to reward the Badgers with both a No. 3 seed and home-court advantage? It’s hard to feel sympathy.

That three-seed in Milwaukee instead went to Iowa State. The Cyclones have faded as of late, but still spent most of the season in the top-five of the AP Poll. Their breadth of elite basketball created room for the ugly late-season losses. Them losing to Oklahoma State is about as bad of a loss as Penn State, but the first few months of the season matter, too.

This is how I theorize the committee viewed Wisconsin: The tough losses to Oregon and Penn State dropped them to a shaky three-seed and possibly even a four. The redemptive wins over UCLA and Michigan State secured them at No. 3, but it still wasn’t enough to win the Milwaukee sweepstakes.

This, in my mind, seems fair.

Here’s what doesn’t seem fair.

The Badgers get just three days in between games, while Montana will enter Thursday with a week of rest.

This is a Big Ten issue, as tournament scheduling is up to the conferences. Moving everything up by just one day would give the NCAA Tournament teams an extra day of rest, which would help the teams that represent the conference on a national stage. But that’s an offseason topic.

The Badgers also play in Denver, where the elevation will take another hit on fatigue.

The quick turnaround would create some upset potential, if you leave out one minor detail — Montana isn’t very good.

They’re a very efficient offense — No. 2 in the country in field goal percentage at 50.2 — without any obvious superstars to key in on. They’ve even won 14 of their last 15 games, culminating in a Big Sky Tournament Championship.

But there’s a somewhat-glaring issue. They haven’t looked capable against any team worth a damn. Back in November, the Grizzlies lost to Oregon, 79-48, then two games later to Tennessee, 92-57.

The tough losses even extend to mediocre teams. They lost by 28 to Northern Iowa, and by 24 to Idaho State, who finished 15-15 in the Big Sky.

The tallest player in their starting lineup is 6-foot-8. Even if the Badgers are exhausted, they shouldn’t struggle to score in the paint.

Ultimately, if they lose to this Montana group, they can’t blame anybody but themselves.

After that is when things get tough.

If the Badgers win, they’ll play the winner of No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 VCU, both of whom are frisky and capable of an upset. The winner of that game will likely play No. 2 Alabama. And then all roads run through Cooper Flagg’s Blue Devils.

All in all, this was a tough draw for the Badgers, but they didn’t get screwed.

They held their fate in their hands, then proceeded to suffer some of the worst choke jobs of the Greg Gard era against Oregon and Penn State.

Frankly, some anger and adversity could be what this group needs, after entering the last two NCAA Tournaments devoid of noticeable intensity.

If they can hone in on the grit we saw against Michigan State and Michigan, they have a much greater chance of a deep run than any Gard-led team to date.

Compared to those past groups, this team is deeper, healthier and seems to have the right personalities leading.

Fans should feel confident in this group, despite me trashing their recent losses.

The merit of these seedings will be revealed in due time. No matter the seemingly random and chaotic nature of the tournament, the cream always rises to the top. That’s the beauty of March.

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