With only one game this week, Wisconsin basketball has the chance to regroup and reset after tonight’s game against Maryland. The last time I did power rankings, the Badgers were one of the two best teams in the Big Ten with Purdue. Since then, Wisconsin basketball has lost five of their last six games.
How far do the Badgers fall in this latest version of my Big Ten power rankings with only a few weeks until the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago? Here are my updated Big Ten power rankings.
Big Ten Power Rankings
- Purdue
- Illinois
- Michigan State
- Northwestern
- Wisconsin
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- Minnesota
- Maryland
- Rutgers
- Indiana
- Penn State
- Ohio State
- Michigan
Why Wisconsin Basketball at 5?
You won’t find many teams in the Big Ten struggling as much as Wisconsin basketball is. They have gotten away from what has worked early in the season and they are not sold on the defensive side. It’s pretty clear the longer they struggle on defense, the morel likely they will have an early exit in the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.
The good news? Wisconsin basketball hold the tie breaker over Michigan State and Northwestern despite being in a three way tie for third. As long as the Badgers take care of business at home, they will likely have a double bye in the Big Ten Tournament. The Spartans and Wildcats still play each other in March so they will gain a game on one of these teams. However, this team needs to play much better than they currently are.
Other Big Ten Takeaways
It sure looks like Purdue and Illinois are running away with the top two spots in the Big Ten Tournament. I think at worse, the Badgers will be the five seed. For teams like Purdue and Illinois, the Big Ten Tournament likely won’t mean much, if anything.
If you look at most bracketologists, there looks to be only six Big Ten teams getting into the NCAA Tournament. That looks to be Purdue, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Northwestern, and Nebraska. Nebraska is a bubble team and Northwestern is a nine seed in most brackets.
This is going to be important stretches for teams like Nebraska, Iowa, and Indiana. Minnesota could still get in the bubble, but their schedule has not been very tough to get consideration. Rutgers needs likely a miracle and teams like Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan are all but already eliminated.
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