Wisconsin Basketball Cracks the Andy Katz Power 36 Rankings

Following a 1-1 start to the regular season that featured a win over Arkansas State and a loss to No. 9 Tennessee, Greg Gard and the Wisconsin Badgers basketball program managed to catch the attention of NCAA digital reporter Andy Katz. 

On Monday, Katz released his first Power 36 list of the season — with the Badgers coming in at a respectable 30th. Other Big Ten teams that made the list include Purdue (3), Illinois (20), Northwestern (27), Michigan State (31), and Michigan (33). Future Big Ten conference additions USC, UCLA, and Oregon cracked the rankings at 11, 24, and 35, respectively. 

🚨 NEW #Power36 from @TheAndyKatz!

1. Tennessee
2. Arizona
3. Purdue
4. Kansas
5. UConn
6. Marquette
7. Creighton
8. Miami
9. Baylor
10. Duke
11-36 👉 https://t.co/jrl49GYTDo pic.twitter.com/dUV5ehCXQt

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 13, 2023

Wisconsin Basketball Cracks the Andy Katz Power 36 Rankings

Coming off a disappointing season that finished in an NIT semi-final exit, the Wisconsin Badgers have their eyes set on a return to the NCAA Tournament. 

Given the amount of returning talent, AJ Storr’s addition through the transfer portal, and promising early returns on the 2023 recruiting class, Wisconsin basketball has all the pieces to establish itself as a top-25 team in the country again. 

Big Ten All-Freshman shooting guard Connor Essegian has moved to the bench — and when healthy, could provide the Badgers with a much-needed scoring punch they desperately lacked off the pine a year ago. 

A slimmed-down Chucky Hepburn has also shown his willingness to push the pace and capitalize on the team’s newfound athleticism, which in turn will help lead to a few easy baskets. 

Regardless of record, Wisconsin basketball has a brutal non-conference schedule that will help them establish a rotation early in the season and make them arguably the most battle-tested team in the Big Ten. 

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