The hype is building for the Wisconsin Badgers, and many pundits are getting on board. If Wisconsin wanted to fly under the radar, knocking off back-to-back top-10 teams wasn't the way to do it. Now, Wisconsin fans, for better or worse, have to deal with college basketball pundits jumping on the bus. One Big Ten analyst even declares that he's driving the bus.
Raphael Davis of the Big Ten Network had an incredible take on the Badgers, declaring them to be dangerous and capable of beating anyone. He loves the one-two punch of Nick Boyd and John Blackwell and says that moving Blackwell back to the two has helped him skyrocket this season.
"I'm driving the Wisconsin bus! I'm head of the Badgers for the Big Ten Network!" 🗣️@RaphealDavis3 is all in on No. 24 @BadgerMBB 💪#B1GToday pic.twitter.com/3Cy9ZxZo7c
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 17, 2026
Raphael Davis says that Wisconsin has the best backcourt in all of college basketball
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Davis wasn't just hyping the Badgers up; he came ready to defend the Badgers and even give them a stamp for the NCAA Tournament run. "I'm driving the Wisconsin bus, I'm head of the Badgers for the Big Ten Network. These dudes are cooking with gas...They got two guards that can go get you 50 every single night. That's what March is about: guards make you go when you get to March Madness. You got John Blackwell and Nick Boyd, the best backcourt in all of college basketball."
This is high praise for a former Purdue star who went 3-4 against Wisconsin all-time. He knows a thing or two about playing the Badgers, even if the team looks a lot different than when Davis played from 2012 to 2016.
The Badgers now have a lot of pundits believing in them, like Davis, and many bracketologists are continuing to place them higher and higher in the brackets. The Badgers also found their way into the Top 25 AP Poll for the first time since November.
The Wisconsin bus is moving, and lots of people are loading up and believing in this team. Now, the goal is to keep riding the momentum through the rest of the season, into the Big Ten Tournament, and on into March Madness.