Wisconsin basketball surges in KenPom, ESPN’s BPI after win over Nebraska

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Wisconsin basketball notched an important win on Sunday. After the team’s seven-game winning streak was recently snapped on the road at UCLA, it bounced back with a dominant 83-55 win over Nebraska.

The Badgers improved to 16-4 (6-3 Big Ten) with the triumph. The result importantly held the team’s spot at No. 4 in the Big Ten standings, still 2 1/2 games behind first-place Michigan State.

Related: Takeaways from Wisconsin basketball’s blowout win over Nebraska

The 28-point triumph also adds to Wisconsin’s growing list of dominant conference victories. That resume now includes wins of 31 points (Iowa), 12 (Rutgers), 21 (Minnesota), 12 (USC) and 28 (Nebraska).

Wisconsin’s win-loss record will matter far more for March Madness seeding than how those games are specifically decided. But the team finding dominant wins over inferior competition, plus only losing narrowly to top teams, continues to raise what was already a sky-high ceiling.

Importantly, results like Sunday’s win continue to raise the team’s ranking in predictive metrics, including KenPom and the ESPN BPI. Here is where the Badgers now rank, both nationally and in the 18-team Big Ten:

KenPom: No. 14 overall (up from No. 21) and No. 3 in the Big Ten, with the No. 7 offense and No. 50 defense in the country.

ESPN BPI: No. 22 overall (up three spots) and No. 5 in the Big Ten, with a projected record of 22.6 – 8.4 and a 10.5% chance to win the Big Ten.

The Badgers’ most notable jump is on the defensive side of the court. Top-end offensive efficiency has defined the team’s season to date. A return to the program’s classic defensive dominance is what was needed for the team to reach contention. Its standing in KenPom reflects that improvement, as Wisconsin is up more than 30 spots in defensive efficiency compared to where it stood earlier in the season. That boosted the team’s overall ranking up to No. 14, just six spots behind Purdue (No. 8 overall, No. 1 Big Ten).

Wisconsin is back on the court on…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/wisconsin-basketball-surges-kenpom-espn-145734068.html

Author : Badgers Wire

Publish date : 2025-01-27 14:57:00

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