Wisconsin is a basketball school and the latest viewership rankings prove it

All eyes, quite literally, are on Wisconsin Basketball this season as the Badgers try and push for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

The Badgers just saw their five-game win streak come to an end against USC, but leading up to that, all of America was watching Wisconsin fly through the Big Ten schedule. According to Nielson TV ratings, the Badgers are the No. 10 most-watched team in the country.

Michigan State leads the way, while UCLA and Indiana also make an appearance on the list for the Big Ten. Below is the full list of the top ten teams.

Badgers are among the elite for getting viewership

It's not terribly surprising to see Wisconsin near the top. The Badger faithful are just that, and it's not like football has been stealing away views. What is a bit surprising is that other top Big Ten teams, like Michigan or Nebraska, are no where to be found. The Badgers’ upset victory over the Wolverines did get two million viewers, however, which certainly helped to boost their numbers. It was the fourth most watched game of the season so far.

Another factor is that Wisconsin plays an exciting brand of basketball. Two or three years ago that definitely was not the case, but head coach Greg Gard has turned his program into an offensive juggernaut. The Badgers average 83.6 points per game and launch 31.4 three-pointers per game, which is ninth in the country.

Wisconsin has a relatively favorable schedule the rest of the way outside of matchups against Illinois, Purdue, and the No. 1 most watch team Michigan State Spartans. The Badgers are currently 14-6 overall and 6-3 in conference, and although the Michigan win is their only Quad 1 victory, they don't really have any bad losses that drag down their resume.