Upset alert? Wisconsin paid Montana State $100k and expert picks them to lose

Wisconsin is a huge favorite but Montana State isn't exactly a cupcake.

Mar 20, 2024; Dayton, OH, USA; Montana State Bobcats head coach Matt Logie talks with guard Eddie Turner III (3) before enter the game in the second half at UD Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Wisconsin is playing at the Kohl Center as 17.5-point favorites against Montana State on Thursday night but there's a respectable Badgers analyst who thinks they will lose.

Evan Flood, who covers the Badgers for 247Sports, is picking the Bobcats to upset the Badgers.

"The Bobcats were a NCAA Tournament team a year ago," Flood reasoned, noting that Montana State returns three starters from last year's team while also adding Utah State transfer Max Agbonkpolo.

Flood believes that because Montana State "is an experienced group" featuring nine players with four-plus years of college basketball experience, coupled with the fact that Wisconsin is "still gelling defensively and really doesn't have its rotation ironed out" is a "less than ideal" situation that sets the stage for the upset.

Montana State does indeed have scoring depth and experience. And they aren't just a team that went to the NCAA Tournament last season. They also made the tournament in 2022-23 and 2021-22, so they're riding a three-year NCAA Tournament streak as the three-time reigning Big Sky Conference champs.

The Bobcats have size. They run out three guards who are 6-foot-6, 6-foot-4 and 6-foot-2, respectively, while mixing in a 6-foot-7 forward and a 6-foot-10 center. And pretty much everyone on the team can shoot. In fact, Montana State coach Matt Logie recently called this the best shooting team he's had in his long coaching career.

If the Badgers lose, it cost them more than a loss because it's a "buy game."

That means the University of Wisconsin is paying Montana State to travel to Madison and play the game. How much? According to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the Badgers are paying Montana State $100,000.