MADISON, Wis.  As the student section charged onto the court Saturday and the final undefeated team in college basketball left with its first loss, Wisconsin’s 71-67 upset of Ohio State raised an age-old question.

With the No. 1 Buckeyes potentially playing 40 games this season if they make it all the way to the national title game, is losing a game before the N.C.A.A. tournament a good thing?

It is a conundrum. No coach or player at this level would ever embrace losing. But no funereal pall hung over the Ohio State locker room Saturday, nor was there a sense of panic. There is a strong argument that the Buckeyes (24-1, 11-1 Big Ten) should remain ranked No. 1, as it is no crime to lose to the No. 13 Badgers (19-5, 9-3) in one of the loudest and most vibrant arenas in the country.

“We don’t like to lose,” the Ohio State freshman Jared Sullinger said. “In the long run, it helps you out. You know what it feels like to lose, and you know that you don’t want to feel that feeling again.”