Wisconsin basketball continues to trend toward the top tier of the Big Ten standings. Its latest step forward was Saturday’s 84-69 road win over USC.
The Badgers have turned their season around after a three-game losing streak in early December. Since then, they have won seven straight contests, including Big Ten wins over Iowa, Rutgers, Minnesota, Ohio State, and USC. That surge has the team up to No. 4 (tied with Illinois) in the conference standings, just 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Michigan State Spartans.
Related: Takeaways from Wisconsin basketball’s road win over USC
Wisconsin’s top-of-the-nation offensive efficiency has been a significant factor in its strong play. The team averages 82.4 points per game (29th in the nation), highlighted by a 116-point outburst against Iowa. It managed 84 points in the win over USC despite leading scorer John Tonje finishing with zero points on 0-of-3 shooting. That output proved its depth of quality contributors, as John Blackwell (28 points) and Max Klesmit (18 points) led the way.
Another developing story is the Badgers’ defensive improvement. The team now allows an average of 70.3 points per game — that rate aided by opponents averaging just 64.75 points over the last four games.
Wisconsin’s defensive efficiency numbers have jumped during its stretch of Big Ten wins to begin the calendar year. They are a big reason for the team’s current standing in both KenPom and the ESPN BPI:
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KenPom: No. 21 overall (same ranking as it held after the Ohio State win) and No. 5 in the Big Ten, with the No. 12 offense and No. 46 defense in the country.
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ESPN BPI: No. 25 overall (up three spots) and No. 6 in the Big Ten, with a projected record of 22.6 – 8.4 and a 8.6% chance to win the Big Ten.
That chance to win the conference has been on steady ascension over the last few weeks. The Badgers are flashing top form as several of the conference’s top contenders are showing signs of weakness. Michigan‘s loss at Minnesota and Illinois’ home loss to USC are two of many examples.
Wisconsin remains in Los Angeles, California over the next few days before a Tuesday night matchup against UCLA. The Bruins sit No. 31 and No. 32 in KenPom and the BPI, respectively. They recently ended an extensive losing streak with a blowout win over Iowa.
The Badgers could take another significant step forward with a win over the Bruins. Not just in the listed predictive metrics, but also in the AP Poll, bracketology and other national rankings.
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