I was a big baby about this loss. Didn't log on to this thread til this morning. I had the same discussion with a friend where he outlined why the Badgers have lost in the tourney with a lot of the same talking points this thread has provided. Iowa just beat a one-seed with Stirtz going 0-9 from three, so it's possible to get it done without a great game from your players.
I am really tired of talking about under-seeded opponents. Okay, if High Point was under-seeded, how much under-seeded? Should they have been a 10? an 8? Didn't the Badgers go 6-3 against Sweet 16 teams, including beating a 1, a 2, and two of the three seeds? When the only proof that a team is under-seeded is that they beat UW, that's just proof after the fact.
Maybe the Badgers should get a 13 or 14-seed so they can play teams they can beat in the first round. They have had their season ended by a lower seed every seasons but one since 2019 (Baylor, 2021). The only one of those lower seeds that won their next game was when number 12 Oregon beat number 13 UCI in the next round. Tournament performance has been a real blemish on Gard and the UW.