Riding an 8-0 record into this week after defeating Chicago State, Wisconsin looked like a surefire top-10 team after several heavyweights suffered bad losses. They'll finish just outside this week, however, at number 11 in the latest AP Poll.
BREAKING: Updated College Basketball AP Poll🚨https://t.co/mFd53S00Gi pic.twitter.com/DoCmqg90eh
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Wisconsin had entered the season unranked, but thanks to strong play from transfer John Tonje and a deep rotation, the Badgers have rocketed up the rankings. Still, after top-10 teams Uconn, Houston, Gonzaga and Alabama all lost, there seemed to be a fairly straight path towards ranking higher than 11.
The ninth and tenth ranked teams, Duke and Alabama, already have two losses on the year. The Badgers remain undefeated, with wins against Arizona and newly ranked number 18 Pittsburgh. It seems like the AP voters are not yet ready to deem Wisconsin a top team in the country, but maybe this week's matchup against fifth ranked Marquette can change all that.
Regardless of their ranking, the season has gotten off to a near perfect start for the Badgers. Tonje is the number two scorer in all of the Big Ten at 22.9 points per game, and players like John Blackwell, Kamari McGee and Nolan Winter have had their best seasons yet. Wisconsin will take on Michigan tomorrow, with No. 5 Marquette coming up on Saturday.