Wisconsin Badgers
While the Big Ten has had its struggles, a top-tier group has emerged above. Purdue and Illinois have been on the national radar, while Wisconsin has flown under the radar. They’re now 13-3 (5-0) on the season, including wins over Virginia, Marquette, and Michigan State before this week.
The first win was on the road at Ohio State, 71-60. Max Klesmit had 18 points, while AJ Storr chipped in with 17. With a NET ranking in the top 50, this stands to be another Quad 1 victory. The Badgers followed that up with a 71-63 win over Northwestern, led by 24 points from Klesmit. His emergence has become another boost for a balanced team that’s strong on both sides.
Wisconsin’s resume is sneaky strong, now 8-3 against Quad 1/2 opponents. They have no bad losses at all and can make a case for a 3 seed right now. And with so many ranked teams losing this past week, this program has a case for being in the top 10 in the next week or so.
The Badgers are back on the road with a game at Penn State, which currently has the worst NET ranking (125) but still represents a Quad 2 victory on the road. After that is a home battle with Indiana, another winnable game that could have them 7-0 in league play.