Wisconsin Basketball Makes a Huge Leap in the Latest AP Top 25 Poll

Greg Gard and the Wisconsin Badgers basketball team’s (16-4, 8-1 B1G) tremendous 2023-24 season just keeps getting better and better.

After escaping Williams Arena with a 61-59 victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers and destroying Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans 81-66 in Madison, the Badgers leaped to No. 6 in the latest AP Top 25 poll.

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— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) January 29, 2024

After another stunning week of upsets around the nation, Wisconsin men’s basketball jumped up seven from their previous AP ranking, passing powerhouse teams such as Duke, Kentucky, and Illinois on their way up.

Wisconsin Basketball Ranked No. 6 in Latest AP Top 25 Poll

Given the talent we’ve seen from this squad in recent weeks, it’s no surprise that the Wisconsin Badgers stand among the nation’s best in this week’s rankings.

Coming off a phenomenal 28-point performance against Michigan State on Friday, sophomore A.J. Storr is now averaging 15.9 points on the season. Bittersweet but true, Storr’s fantastic has left Badger fans pondering the possibility of the superstar guard declaring for the NBA draft this offseason. The 6’7 Rockford, Illinois native is shooting 44.4% from the field, and 31.6% from beyond the arc.

Greg Gard has also found critical production from his two starting big guys, Steven Crowl and Tyler Wahl. Crowl is averaging an impressive 11.9 points and 7.5 rebounds, followed by Wahl’s 11.5 points and 5.5 boards per game. Junior guard Max Klesmit has also been unbelievable this year, putting up 18+ point performances in victories against Indiana, Northwestern, Ohio State, and Marquette.

Following their boost in the rankings, Wisconsin is set to clash with Nebraska (15-6, 5-5 B1G) on the road and Purdue (19-2, 8-2 B1G) at home this week — two challenging matchups. Beating Nebraska will likely require a solid defensive performance against Keisei Tominaga, while Purdue might just be the Badger’s toughest — and most important — matchup of the regular season.

Zach Edey and the Boilermakers may be a top-5 team in the country, but they are far from invincible, recording losses to Nebraska and Northwestern earlier on this season. With two victories this week, Wisconsin basketball might be dancing with a spot in the nation’s top 5 next Monday.

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