WISCONSIN — March Madness is here. The NCAA men’s basketball tournament shifts into high gear on Thursday. (Better get those brackets in!)

Auburn, coached by former Milwaukee Panthers coach Bruce Pearl, is the overall top seed in the NCAA Tournament. They’re one of a record 14 teams from the Southeastern Conference that made the tournament.

Here are three things to watch in the NCAA Tournament.

Badgers go west

Badgers fans were hoping they’d just have to drive to Milwaukee to see their team. Instead, Wisconsin plays Montana Thursday afternoon in Denver. After losing Sunday in Indianapolis in the Big Ten Tournament Championship game to Michigan, it’s a quick turnaround for the Badgers.

How they handle that, and the altitude, will determine their level of success this week.

Golden Eagles hope to rock n’ roll in Cleveland

Marquette takes on New Mexico Friday night in Cleveland. The Golden Eagles are just 5-7 in their last 12 games. 

New Mexico is coached by Richard Pitino, the son of the St. John’s coach. Rick Pitino has said he’ll share any insights he has about Marquette with his son. 

A talented Golden Eagles senior class, which made the NCAA Tournament all four years, isn’t ready to stop playing. Kam Jones gets the national exposure his game deserves.

Milwaukee games

There are first and second round games at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Friday and Sunday.

There are lots of local connections, including Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger, a Milwaukee area native. Kentucky coach Mark Pope still has some fans in Milwaukee. He was a Bucks player for George Karl in the early 2000s.

The Green Bay women’s basketball team plays Saturday at 12:30 p.m. in the NCAA Tournament against Alabama in College Park, Maryland.

The Phoenix enters the tournament on a roll. They’ve won 22 straight games. Green Bay is looking for their first NCAA Tournament win since 2012.