Wisconsin's Nick Boyd celebrates as Purdue's C.J. Cox looks on during a game March 7 in West Lafayette, Ind. (AP Photo/Craig Pessman)

Wisconsin guard Nick Boyd’s NCAA Tournament experiences have run the gamut at his previous schools.

Boyd reached the Final Four with Florida Atlantic in 2023, endured an overtime loss in the round of 64 with the Owls a year later and then lost in the First Four with San Diego State last season. Now at his third school, Boyd has a keen understanding of what it takes to thrive this time of year.

“I just think it’s all about the mental aspect for the team, coming in ready to leave it all on the line,” Boyd said. “The last couple of teams I’ve been on, when we lost in the first round, we were kind of overcoming some challenges as a team. Maybe our mental (outlook) wasn’t in the best place in a sense. I feel like with this team right now, we have great momentum.”

In this era of the transfer portal, plenty of players end up appearing in the NCAA Tournament with multiple schools. For instance, the most outstanding player in last year’s Final Four was Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr., who previously had participated in the NCAA Tournament with Iona.

Boyd would love to follow a similar path.

Wisconsin (24-10) is seeded fifth in the West Region and will face High Point (30-4) in a first-round game today at Portland, Oregon. The Badgers will attempt to advance beyond the NCAA Tournament’s opening weekend for the first time since a Sweet 16 appearance in 2017.

Boyd will need to continue the momentum he established last week by averaging 25 points in three Big Ten Tournament games, including a 38-point performance in a quarterfinal victory over Illinois. The 6-foot-3 guard has averaged 20.6 points and 4.2 assists — both career highs — in his lone season with the Badgers.

Boyd has played seven career NCAA Tournament games, though he didn’t score more than 12 points in any of them. He’s eager to lead Wisconsin on the type of long postseason run he enjoyed with Florida Atlantic three years ago.

“We’re in a good mental space, where we trust each other and believe in what we can do,” Boyd said. “I think that’s the most important thing.”