Wisconsin Basketball: Badgers up to No. 7 in latest AP poll

Feb 5, 2017; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Vitto Brown (30) returns to the bench during the game with the Indiana Hoosiers at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin defeated Indiana 65-60. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 5, 2017; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Vitto Brown (30) returns to the bench during the game with the Indiana Hoosiers at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin defeated Indiana 65-60. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports

The Wisconsin Badgers benefitted from a week of college basketball chaos.

After a road victory at Illinois and a gutsy home win over Indiana, the Wisconsin Badgers basketball team has moved up in the latest AP college basketball poll.

Coming in at No. 7, the Badgers saw seven teams in front of them fall last week. Wisconsin took care of business, winning by 14 at Illinois, followed by a 65-60 victory over a hungry Indiana team on Sunday.

https://twitter.com/BadgerMBB/status/828661310858600453

Despite the high number of teams in front of them falling, the Badgers were only able to pass a couple due to the nature of their losses. For instance, Kansas, who saw their 54-game home win streak snapped, salvaged a larger drop with their early-week victory over then-No. 2 Baylor.

The Badgers were also overlooked by previously No. 13 Oregon, who blew out the fifth-ranked Arizona Wildcats by nearly 30 points. The Ducks currently hold the longest home-winning streak in the country after Kansas’ loss and remain one of the hottest teams in the country.

Full Rankings:

  1. Gonzaga Bulldogs
  2. Villanova Wildcats
  3. Kansas Jayhawks
  4. Louisville Cardinals
  5. Oregon Ducks
  6. Baylor Bears
  7. Wisconsin Badgers
  8. North Carolin Tar Heels
  9. Arizona Wildcats
  10. UCLA Bruins
  11. Cincinnati Bearcats
  12. Virginia Cavaliers
  13. West Virginia Mountaineers
  14. Florida State Seminoles
  15. Kentucky Wildcats
  16. Purdue Boilermakers
  17. Florida Gators
  18. Duke Blue Devils
  19. South Carolina Gamecocks
  20. Saint Mary’s (CA) Gaels
  21. Maryland Terrapins
  22. Butler Bulldogs
  23. Creighton Bluejays
  24. Xavier Musketeers
  25. SMU Mustangs

Wisconsin wil have a tough week ahead as they travel to Lincoln to take on Nebraska on Thursday. The Cornhuskers began play 3-0 and have a couple nice wins in Big Ten play, including a road victory at Maryland and home win against Purdue. The Badgers have won three out of the last four vs. Nebraska, but are 1-1 in their last two games in Lincoln.

Wisconsin will then return home to face a surging Northwestern team that is hungry for its first ever NCAA Tournament berth. The Wildcats are fresh off a No. 25 rankings, just their 13th week ever in the polls. Northwestern dropped out of the rankings after losing to Purdue on the road.

The Badgers also moved up to No. 5 in the USA Today/Coaches Poll.