Analytics expert: Wisconsin has one of college basketball’s best lineups

Wisconsin went on a seven-game win streak only to be snapped by UCLA in a heart-breaking and frustrating road loss. This streak of games revealed that Wisconsin has one of the best lineups in all of the nation when it comes to a three-man unit. Wisconsin is at its absolute best when a specific trio is on the floor at the same time. It may not surprise you, but it's actually a crew that isn't all in the starting lineup together.

Wisconsin has one of the best three-man lineups in all of college basketball: Blackwell, McGee, and Crowl.

The three guys who lead the way are John Blackwell, Kamari McGee, and Steven Crowl, according to college basketball analytics expert Evan Miyakawa. If you look at the chart above, it is a combination of offensive efficiency and defensive efficiency. With those two combinations put together, the Wisconsin three is ranked sixth in the nation.

However, if you just rank this list by offensive efficiency alone, they are the second-best three-man lineup in all of college basketball. Only the trio from the Florida Gators is better: Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh, and Alijah Martin. The Badgers three rank at a staggering 140 in observed offensive efficiency. This is basically a stat that ranks how many points a unit scores based on 100 possessions.

The remarkable part about this is that Kamari McGee comes in off the bench. He isn't one of the starters, but his role as the 6th man is important for the momentum of what head coach Greg Gard wants to do. This boost of energy when McGee steps onto the floor and literally lifts his teammates up. His ability to make his way to a corner for a three has been a massive part of this team's success.

The Wisconsin Badgers play their next game on January 26 at noon back home against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.