College basketball analysts and ranking systems are going to have a tough time keeping Wisconsin out of the conversation with the sport’s top national contenders.
The Badgers sent a decisive message of arrival on Saturday with a 94-84 road win over Purdue. The team improved to 20-5 (10-4 Big Ten) with the result. It also jumped to No. 9 in KenPom (No. 6 offense, No. 44 defense), leaping Purdue, which fell to No. 10 in the process. That movement made Wisconsin the highest-ranked Big Ten team in the predictive metric.
The AP and USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll should follow suit when both are released on Monday. Wisconsin should approach the top 10 of both national rankings.
For those who are somehow still not sold on Wisconsin’s quality and terrific resume, the team’s win over Purdue pushed it five spots up to No. 12 in the NCAA NET Rankings. That slot, like in KenPom, makes the Badgers the NET’s highest-ranked team in the Big Ten.
Other contending Big Ten teams sit at No. 13 (Purdue) in the NET, No. 16 (Maryland), No. 18 (Illinois), No. 20 (Michigan) and No. 21 (Michigan State). While Wisconsin is in fourth place in the conference standings, still 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Wolverines, its resume and perceived quality are now clearly the Big Ten’s best.
Wisconsin’s spot in the NET is held by a 7-5 record in Quad 1 games, 6-0 vs. Quad 2 and 7-0 against everybody else. The Badgers have balanced strong victories with ‘good’ losses. In clearer terms: Wisconsin’s five losses have all come against top-ranked teams: NET No. 20 Michigan, No. 18 Illinois, No. 23 Marquette, No. 24 UCLA, and No. 16 Maryland. It has wins against NET No. 9 Arizona, No. 10 Purdue and No. 27 Ohio State.
The Badgers’ NCAA Tournament resume should approach the No. 2 seed line if the team can defeat the Fighting Illini on Tuesday. Before that game inevitably impacts the conference landscape, it’s reasonable to take a snapshot today, Feb. 16, 2025, and call Wisconsin the best team in the Big Ten.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin basketball updated NCAA NET Ranking after Purdue win
