Wisconsin Basketball: Badgers remain in top 10 despite loss to Maryland

Wisconsin basketball is ranked 8th in the latest AP Top 10 after splitting their games last week.

Last week, the Wisconsin basketball team came in at number six in the AP Top 10 poll but lost to unranked Maryland at home. It was a game where the Badgers were up by five at halftime, and it felt like they were going to pull away in the second half.

Not quite.

The Terapins came out smoking hot. They hit 64% of their shots from the field and 43% from three. No matter what team you are playing, it’s hard to win a game when your opponent is on fire.

They bounced back with a big win over #21 Minnesota at home where the Gophers never led. The Badgers won by 12 but were up by as much as 26 in the second half. The Gophers whittled the lead down towards the end of the game while a lot of the Badgers’ starters were out, so this game was never really that close.

So even though the Badgers lost, the AP voters must have not let the loss impact them too much, or they were impressed with their win over the Gophers. The Badgers dropped just two spots in the poll, falling to number eight, but stating in the top 10. They are one of three teams in the top 10, joining Iowa (5) Michigan (10).

This week, the Wisconsin basketball team will host the Indiana Hoosiers. Their last game against Penn State was postponed after some covid concerns on their end. The Hoosiers are 6-4 on the season with a 1-2 record in conference play. The Badgers should win this game, especially with it being at home.

After that, their next game won’t be until next week, so they have a good shot at climbing the rankings again, should some teams ahead of them lose. Iowa plays at Maryland and vs. Minnesota this week. As crazy as the Big Ten is, I could see Iowa losing at some point this week, especially since they have already lost to Minnesota earlier this season.