Wisconsin is on a five-game winning streak, including toppling No. 2 Michigan on the road. The Badgers are playing as hot as anyone, and that's just according to the eye test. It's also accurate according to the real analytics. Since January 1, there is no team with a more efficient offense in the entire landscape of college basketball. The Badgers, according to Bart Torvik, are the most offensive efficient team in the month of January.
The Badgers have an adjusted offensive efficiency rating of 131.7 in January. From November to December, the Badgers were 73rd in the country in the same category with only a 115.1 clip. The analytics prove what we are seeing on the court: the Badgers are on fire.
What's leading to it?
Per Bart Torvik, Wisconsin has the most efficient offense in the nation this month, and has been a top-12 team overall since the calendar turned to 2026 #Badgers
— Nick Osen (@TheRealNickOsen) January 23, 2026
5-1 in that stretch
What has led Wisconsin to be the best offensive team in January?
Related: Greg Gard had a hilarious response to John Blackwell's technical foul vs. Penn State
Braeden Carrington was asked about why the offense is doing so great after clobbering Penn State 98-71. He said, "At the beginning of the year, we let our offense control and dictate how we play the game. We're finally letting defense dictate everything. The more stops we get, the more it fuels our offense."
According to Carrington, and really, this has been a Greg Gard philosophy the last few years, the key to a good offense is an exceptional defense. Why? Well, making stops, getting steals, or defensive rebounds can lead to a fastbreak offense, and with a player like Nick Boyd on the team, he can use his speed to get easy transition buckets.
That's been the success model over the last month: Wisconsin is stopping teams, breaking out, and getting transition points. It also helps that they are shooting the 3pt shot better than they did in November and December. They are up to 34.9% on the season from behind the arch with Braeden Carrington leading the way at 43.8% (among players with quality minutes).
This recipe has led to the Badgers' resurgence and is now propelling them into a really hard conference stretch in February, where they will face five quad-1 conference foes in a row.