In a season where ranked teams seem to get upset every week, the Wisconsin Badgers have been as consistent as anyone.
Wisconsin has won nine of its last 10 games, including three in a row entering this week. The Badgers have hardly slipped up in winnable games, with a 10-1 record in non-Quadrant 1 games per NCAA Statistics. And in those Quadrant 1 games, Wisconsin is 6-3, just one win behind the nation’s leader (who happens to be appearing on this list very soon).
There are few dominant teams in men’s college basketball this season, maybe none. The Badgers have positioned themselves in that second tier of teams that could make a run in March with good seeding. With that in mind, let’s see where they and the rest of the Big Ten stack up in Bracketology projections:
Purdue: 1-seed
Games this upcoming week: vs. Northwestern on Wed., at Wisconsin Sun.
Easy wins over Michigan and Rutgers were just tune-ups for potentially the biggest week of Purdue’s season. First, the Boilermakers get a chance at revenge against Northwestern for their early-season loss, with this matchup at home in West Lafayette. Then, they head to Madison for a matchup that will likely determine the conference’s leader. Purdue still has the most Quadrant 1 wins of any team in the country, so expect it to be up to the challenge.
Wisconsin: 2-seed
Games this week: at Nebraska on Thu., vs. Purdue on Sun.
If the Badgers weren’t worthy of being considered a national title contender, they probably wouldn’t have escaped with a road win at Minnesota or thoroughly handled Michigan State at home last week. Nebraska is 13-1 at home (undefeated in the Big Ten) and Purdue is… Purdue, so the tests will keep coming for Wisconsin.
Illinois: 4-seed
Games this week: at Ohio State on Tue. (Peacock), vs. Nebraska on Sun.
Welsh-Ryan Arena is officially a danger zone for ranked opponents, so dropping an overtime game to Northwestern there is not incredibly damaging. Returning home and going down to the wire with an Indiana team that was without Kel’El Ware and shot 0-of-9 on threes and 12-of-22 on free throws was, despite the win, potentially even more concerning. Still, the Illini have time to lock into their best basketball before March.
Michigan State: 8-seed
Games this week: vs. Michigan on Tue. (Peacock), vs. Maryland on Sat.
The Spartans only played once last week, an uninspiring 81-66 loss at Wisconsin Friday. The metrics continue to like Michigan State, likely because of their top-five strength of schedule; they’ve only lost one game to non-Quadrant 1 teams. Still, at some point, you have to beat who’s in front of you, and the Spartans are 2-7 against Quadrant 1.
Northwestern: 9-seed
Games this week: at Purdue on Wed., at Minnesota on Sat.
The Wildcats have as many impressive victories this season as any lower seed, having beaten No. 16 Dayton, No. 2 Purdue, Michigan State and now No. 10 Illinois this past week, all top-25 NET teams. The problem is that all those wins have come at home, while they’re 2-3 on the road. They have a chance to prove themselves in that regard in a big way with trips to West Lafayette and Minneapolis this week.
Nebraska: 10-seed
Games this week: vs. Wisconsin on Thu., at Illinois on Sun.
Last week was the same story it’s been for the Cornhuskers all season: a dominant home win over a potential bubble team in Ohio State and a debilitating loss to Maryland on the road. We’ll see if that dichotomy continues against the second- and third-best teams in the conference this week, one in the friendly confines of Pinnacle Bank Arena. Coming out of the week 1-1 would be a fairly good result.
Iowa: Out (close to the bubble)
Games this week: at Indiana on Tue., vs. Ohio State on Fri.
The Hawkeyes are one of just three Big Ten teams without a Quadrant 1 win this season (they’re 0-6 in such games), and they’re the only one of those three that’s hanging around the tournament picture. If Tony Perkins keeps playing at his current level, he will help remedy that: Over the last three games, he’s averaging 22.7 points, 3.7 assists and 2.3 steals and shooting 57.5% from the field.
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