The Badgers had a major fall in the rankings after their loss to Penn State.
The Wisconsin Badgers were the biggest fallers in this week’s AP Top 25 poll, dropping from No. 12 to No. 18 after their 86-75 loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday.
It wasn’t the best week for the Badgers, who struggled to pull out a victory over Minnesota on the road during the week before really flopping at home against the second-worst team in the Big Ten.
The loss took Wisconsin away from a top-four seed and a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament. Now, they’ll have to play in the second round on Thursday, taking on the winner of the Northwestern Wildcats and Minnesota Golden Gophers as the No. 5 seed in the tournament.
Wisconsin finished the regular season with a 23-8 record, including 13-7 in Big Ten play, which was tied for the second-most wins in a regular season under head coach Greg Gard.
The Badgers are still hoping for a strong finish in the conference postseason tournament to boost their resume for the NCAA Tournament, where they could end up with a top-three seed, providing a chance to play their first weekend in Milwaukee.
Wisconsin is the third-ranked Big Ten team in the AP Top 25 this week, falling behind the Michigan State Spartans (No. 7) and the Maryland Terrapins (No. 11).
Behind them, a bevy of Big Ten teams round out the Top 25, with the Purdue Boilermakers (No. 20), Michigan Wolverines (No. 22), Oregon Ducks (No. 23), and the Illinois Fighting Illini (No. 24) all ranked this week.