Badgers just narrowly miss AP Top 25 after another undefeated week

The Wisconsin Badgers have turned things around, winning their last four games as they continue forward with their Big Ten schedule.

After a slower start to the season, Wisconsin has now pulled off consecutive wins over UCLA, No. 2 Michigan, Minnesota, and Rutgers, improving to 13-5 on the year and 5-2 in conference play. The Badgers started the season ranked No. 23 in the country, and were in the rankings for the first three weeks of the season as they started 4-0.

But, they’ve yet to be ranked since Week 4, with this week marking the ninth straight week they’ve missed out on the AP Top 25. Well, that wait may not be for much longer. After being among the group of teams receiving votes last week, the Badgers were tied for the most votes of any team outside the Top 25 this week with St. John’s at No. 26.

With wins over Penn State (8-9, 0-7 in Big Ten play) and USC (14-4, 3-4 in Big Ten), the Badgers should have a case for breaking back into the Top 25, as they’d be on a six-game win streak with a 7-2 record in the Big Ten.

It was a good week for the Badgers this past week, as they beat a good Minnesota team on the road with a buzzer-beater from John Blackwell. Then, Wisconsin got off to a hot start against Rutgers, leading by 21 at halftime before squandering the lead into single digits in the second half. They ultimately won 96-87.

Now, they have a road matchup with Penn State, which has lost eight of its last nine games. While they’ve played some top teams close, losing to No. 9 Michigan State, No. 20 Illinois, No. 2 Michigan, and No. 5 Purdue all by single-digits, they’ve lost by double figures in their last two games, including most recently in a 96-73 blowout against Maryland.

That game is set for Thursday at 6:00 p.m. on FS1.