Wisconsin basketball dips in KenPom following meltdown at home vs Oregon

[ad_1]

Wisconsin basketball (21-6, 11-5 Big Ten) blew a 17-point lead in its 77-73 home loss to Oregon (20-8, 9-8 Big Ten) on Saturday.

The disappointing outcome hurts the Badgers’ position in a crowded top tier of the Big Ten standings. Michigan State (22-5, 13-3 Big Ten) and Michigan (20-6, 12-3 Big Ten) currently sit in first and second place, respectively. Wisconsin’s sixth loss severely impacts its likelihood of leapfrogging these top-tier programs with just four games remaining in the regular season.

Minus the in-game circumstances, the loss isn’t a terrible one. The NCAA’s NET Ranking considered the Ducks the No. 34 team in the nation entering Saturday, which makes it a Quad 2 loss. Oregon also boasted the No. 34 spot in KenPom and was ranked as high as No. 9 in the AP Poll earlier this season.

KenPom did shift the Badgers’ position in its top 25 list after the game, however. Wisconsin previously sat at No. 7 nationally after big wins over Illinois and Purdue. It dropped two spots to No. 9 after the Oregon loss, now with the No. 9-ranked offense and No. 37 defense. The Badgers’ offensive efficiency now trails Auburn, Duke, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Houston, Missouri and Purdue. It fell three spots after their sub-par performance against the Ducks

Yes, Wisconsin is still KenPom’s top-ranked Big Ten team, but several conference crews are now on the team’s heels. Michigan State (No. 11), Purdue (No. 13), Maryland (No. 15), Michigan (No. 22) and Illinois (No. 25) all land within the ranking’s top 25.

Despite the loss, UW is unlikely to dip much in other national rankings. Through 27 games, Wisconsin averages 81.7 points per game off 46.8% shooting from the field, 36.3% from beyond the arc and an NCAA-best 83.6% from the foul line. The team held the Ducks to just 26 first-half tallies — an encouraging sign for a defensive unit that holds opponents to just 70.9 points off 41.8% from the field.

With John Tonje at the helm and Greg Gard manning the sidelines, Wisconsin is still in…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/wisconsin-basketball-dips-kenpom-following-141455347.html

Author : Badgers Wire

Publish date : 2025-02-23 14:14:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.