Big Ten Basketball: Purdue, Ohio State, Wisconsin rise in latest power rankings

3. Wisconsin (5-0)

The story at Wisconsin never really seems to change. Greg Gard hasn’t exactly raised the roof in Madison, but he always has solid programs with reliable defense and enough firepower to contend in the Big Ten. Last year ended in a tough NCAA Tournament upset, though the Badgers have a different look this season and have started their season with their best foot (for the most part) forward.

Wisconsin’s offense has looked great throughout their first five wins, with all of them coming on their home court. The standout performance was obviously last week in a 15-point victory against a Top 10 Arizona squad. The Badgers scored 103 points with one of their best offensive outings in recent memory while severely limited the Wildcats on the defensive end. Focus on that success and try not to panic too much as the Badgers had a close call against UTRGV earlier this week.

John Tonje has been the difference maker for the Badgers, with the former Missouri guard becoming a high-profile weapon for this team. John Blackwell, Steven Crowl and a few other returning faces are doing good work as well, but this team leans heavily on Tonje. The Badgers actually lead the nation in free throw percentage; they just have some work to do on the defensive end, especially before conference opponents start dotting their schedule.