Big Ten Basketball power rankings: Illinois free falls, Rutgers soars up

2. Wisconsin Badgers – 11-2 (3-0)

One thing the Badgers love to do is win close games, which was the same in the recent 10-point win over Western Michigan, along with a 3-point victory over Minnesota. A big part of that is Wisconsin’s offense isn’t high-powered and is capable of going on droughts when the three-point shot isn’t working.

In the 63-60 win over Minnesota, Steven Crowl had a big game with 17 points and five rebounds, along with 15 points and five steals from Chucky Hepburn. Freshman Connor Essegian once again had an impact off the bench, scoring 11 points in 20 minutes.

Wisconsin now stands on top of the Big Ten and while Purdue has rightfully received all of the attention for being the biggest overachiever on the season, the Badgers are now on the cusp of being ranked in the top 10 themselves. There may be some luck involved with all of the close calls but Greg Gard continues to make the case for being one of the best coaches in the sport.

Wisconsin goes on the road this weekend against an Illinois squad in complete disarray at the moment. It’s a good time to take them on and stay on top of the conference but the Illini’s athleticism will be a tough matchup for them.