There is a strong debate about where Wisconsin should be ranked after going 1-1 on the week with a loss in Los Angeles to UCLA and securing a decisive win over Nebraska. Even though they had a loss on the week, the Badgers were able to find their way up one spot in the poll. The rise comes as AP voters are becoming more and more impressed with the Wisconsin brand of basketball.
Moving up the ranks pic.twitter.com/HHvAQfQa2F
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) January 27, 2025
Wisconsin Badgers are ranked No. 17 according to AP voters
The Wisconsin Badgers are now in solo fourth in the Big Ten. They are ranked 18 in the NET, 14 in the KenPom, and now are No. 17 in the AP Poll. It's an impressive rise for the Badgers as they continue to make their way through the Big Ten schedule. The impressive win over Nebraska left a sweet taste for Badger basketball in voters' mouths.
While it may seem strange to rise up a spot even with a loss on the week, the rest of the teams around them struggled throughout the week, too. On Saturday alone, No. 6 Tennessee, No. 9 Kentucky, No. 12 Kansas, No. 13 Texas A&M, No. 15 Oregon, No. 16 Ole Miss, No. 19 UConn, No. 23 West Virginia all lost. That's a chaotic day of basketball. Then Sunday came, and Wisconsin whooped Nebraska, and voters loved what they saw from the Badgers.
Wisconsin is now 4-4 in quad-1 games and 12-0 in quad-2, 3, and 4 games. They will have two more quad-1 games this week at Maryland and at Northwestern. It will be a real test for this team that has gone 2-3 on the road.
Michigan State continues to be the pace setter for the Big Ten in the AP polls, coming in at No. 7, Purdue is at No. 10, Oregon fell to No. 16, then Wisconsin at No. 17, and finally Illinois at No. 18 from the Big Ten in the AP rankings.