The Badgers saw a major rise over the weekend after their big win.
The Wisconsin Badgers pulled off one of the more impressive victories of the weekend, going to Mackey Arena and beating the Purdue Boilermakers 94-84 to earn their eighth Quad 1 victory of the season.
It was a strong second half that led the way, as Wisconsin scored 58 points in the period on 18/25 shooting, thanks to great efforts from John Tonje, John Blackwell, and Max Klesmit.
Just how much of an impact did that win have on the Badgers’ outlook for this season?
Looking from an NCAA Tournament perspective, the Badgers were already seen with high regard, earning a No. 3 seed from the committee in their rankings this past week.
Elsewhere, from a KenPom perspective, which ranks teams based on their offensive and defensive efficiency, the Badgers came into the week at No. 12.
Now? They’re all the way up to No. 9, which is ahead of every Big Ten team, as Purdue fell to No. 10.
Wisconsin’s offensive efficiency leads the way, as they have the No. 6 offense in the country with a 125.5 offensive rating, which is also the best of any Big Ten team. Initially seen as a team that could hover around the No. 4 seed line entering last week, the Badgers are moving their way up and making noise at the most important time in the season.
Next up is a tough home game against the Illinois Fighting Illini on Tuesday, with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. at the Kohl Center. Illinois is coming off a loss to Michigan State, which dropped them to 9-7 in conference play.
Can the Badgers keep their four-game winning streak going at home? Another quality win could push them even further up the KenPom rankings on Tuesday.