Big Ten Basketball power rankings: Illinois soars up, Indiana keeps sliding

4. Wisconsin Badgers – 12-5 (4-3)

It was a rough stretch for Wisconsin without Tyler Wahl, losing all three games he didn’t play. The first two setbacks were against Illinois and Michigan State, before a 63-45 defeat on the road at Indiana. The team shot just 32% from the field, as well as 5/24 from three-point range. None of the starters were in double figures but freshman Connor Essegian had 14 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.

The good news for Wisconsin is that they got Wahl back in a home game against Penn State. He played 33 minutes for the team, scoring 10 points and five rebounds. In the end, the Badgers needed every bit of his production, as they were able to win 63-60. Forward Steven Crowl, who stepped up in Wahl’s absence in the frontcourt, had 21 points and 11 rebounds. Chucky Hepburn had 13 points, while Essegian, who got his first start of the season, had 10 points and a couple of made three-pointers.

I’m giving the Badgers the benefit of the doubt with this high ranking despite the recent three-game skid due to not having its best player out. But we’ll know what this team is made of going forward, with three of the next four games on the road. The two coming up are against Northwestern and Maryland.