Wisconsin basketball (20-5, 10-4 Big Ten) moved up five spots to No. 11 in the latest edition of the AP Poll. The move arrives following the team’s impressive road win over the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday afternoon.
The Badgers earned the victory courtesy of 32 points, six rebounds and three assists from star John Tonje, who led a second-half surge that built a lead Wisconsin would not relinquish for the final 16 minutes of action. Tonje’s offensive explosion, coupled with timely buckets from veteran Max Klesmit and walk-on freshman Jack Janicki, proved the difference between victory and defeat in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Wisconsin’s recent AP ranking coincides with updates in several national rating metrics. The team is now No. 9 in KenPom, No. 12 in the NCAA NET and No. 11 in the USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll. Wisconsin has captured six Quad 1 wins and is a combined 13-5 in Quad 1 and Quad 2 action.
Wisconsin is one of five Big Ten teams in the latest AP Top 25, the same as last week’s standing. The difference now, however, is the Badgers’ position as the top-ranked team in the conference.
Wisconsin sits ahead of Michigan (No. 12), Purdue (No. 13), Michigan State (No. 14) and Maryland (No. 20). UCLA, which defeated the Badgers in January, landed in the ‘receiving votes’ section alongside Illinois. The Bruins accumulated 56 votes while the Fighting Illini tallied just 22.
Michigan, a team that handed Wisconsin its first loss of the season back in early December, jumped up a whopping eight spots following wins over Purdue (Feb. 11) and Ohio State (Feb. 16). All five teams that have beaten the Badgers this season either made the latest top 25 or landed in the ‘receiving votes’ section.
Wisconsin will now attempt to further improve its position on the poll with a victory over Illinois when it visits the Kohl Center on Tuesday. UW will then play host to Oregon and Washington on Feb. 22 and Feb. 25, respectively, before traveling to East Lansing, Michigan, to start March with a big road test against the Spartans.
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