NCAA Basketball: Wisconsin, Duke, Creighton rise in latest top 25 power rankings
By Joey Loose
13. Wisconsin (16-4)
Before this week, Wisconsin was sitting atop the Big Ten standings. Even with a surprising loss to Penn State, the Badgers were still in great shape and continued to hold that lead. While the nonconference season had its up and downs, the current shape of this Badgers program is really impressive even if they haven’t played Purdue yet.
Avoiding another road disaster, the Badgers hung on for a close win on Tuesday night, winning 61-59 at Minnesota. Wisconsin got the usual balanced effort, led by Tyler Wahl’s 16 points and a 15-point, 12-rebound effort from AJ Storr. Friday saw an even better performance from Storr and this Badgers team, as they won 81-66 at home against Michigan State. A 28-point effort from Storr was outstanding, with the Badgers shooting 50% against a typically strong Spartans defense.
The Badgers now sit 8-1 in league play in that enviable position atop the Big Ten standings. The team has been playing fantastic basketball since a 1-2 start to the season, with particular success on offense in recent weeks. They’ve now swept Michigan State and have won a few tricky road games, but the real threat is still ahead. They’ll have a tricky road game at Nebraska this week before next Sunday’s mega matchup against Purdue.