NCAA Basketball: Duke, Illinois, and Virginia tumble in latest top 25 power ranking

16. Wisconsin Badgers

The Badgers had an early Christmas break, not playing this past week after the win over Lehigh. The game against Grambling was canceled due to weather conditions, leaving a home matchup against Western Michigan as the last non-conference game before Big Ten play gets fully underway.

Taking an overall look at Wisconsin’s resume and it’s gone as well as one can ask for, considering that they had to replace Big Ten Player of the Year guard, Johnny Davis. No one person has fully replaced his production but forward Tyler Wahl has been the MVP of the team to this point, averaging 14.5 ppg and 6.9 rpg. Guards Chucky Hepburn and Connor Essegian are double-digit scorers who are each shooting over 46% from three-point range.

As usual, the Badgers’ defense is stellar, ranking in the top 20 nationally in many categories. That’s what has propelled them to a 2-0 start in Big Ten play over Iowa and Maryland. And outside of Purdue, which has had its own flaws as of late, everyone else in the conference is vulnerable, giving Coach Greg Gard and company a legit shot at repeating as regular-season champs. A tough stretch in January that includes road games at Indiana and Illinois will be a nice test for Wisconsin.