Wisconsin basketball loses Big Ten’s top position in NCAA NET Rankings

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The Wisconsin Badgers took a major step backward with an overtime loss to Oregon on Saturday.

The result dropped the team in the Big Ten standings (third place, two games behind Michigan State). Wisconsin was also downgraded by KenPom (down from No. 7 to No. 9 in the nation) following the loss, plus took a sizable step backward in the NCAA NET Rankings.

The NET is a resume-based metric, judging teams based on their on-court results and NCAA Tournament resume. Wisconsin previously sat at No. 10 nationally and No. 1 in the Big Ten entering the Oregon game. After the loss, the Badgers dropped to No. 13 overall and No. 2 in the conference, now behind Maryland (No. 11 overall).

Saturday’s loss was Wisconsin’s first non-Quad 1 defeat of the season. Oregon is currently a Quad 2 opponent, given its No. 32 slot in the NET. The Ducks are on the fringe of a top-30 position, however. Any forward jump would move the loss into the Quad 1 category.

Wisconsin is now 7-5 against Quad 1 opponents, 7-1 against Quad 2 and 7-0 against everybody else. That resume still holds strong as one of the best in the sport. It still has the team slotted as a No. 3 seed in current NCAA Tournament bracket projections.

The Oregon loss isn’t a terrible one, considering the Ducks’ strong NET ranking and status as a lock to make the NCAA Tournament. That perspective is hard to focus on given the circumstances of the loss, however, such as Wisconsin’s 14-point lead with six minutes remaining, Oregon’s 16-2 run to close regulation and the Badgers’ several final-minute turnovers to hand the Ducks the game.

The result puts a temporary halt to Wisconsin’s Big Ten regular-season title hopes. The team can take a step back in the right direction with a win over Washington on Tuesday. That contest precedes a season-defining road trip to Michigan State on Saturday.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/wisconsin-basketball-loses-big-ten-130202008.html

Author : Badgers Wire

Publish date : 2025-02-24 13:02:00

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