Wisconsin is just two games out of first place in the Big Ten.
The Wisconsin Badgers pulled off a 74-63 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday, pulling out of a slugfest with the win thanks to a strong defensive performance and some late aggressiveness.
It was Wisconsin’s 19th win of the season and their ninth conference win, while they upped their Quad 1 victory total to seven, which is tied for third in the NCAA.
The Badgers have started off the new year hot, going 9-2 in conference play after early losses to the Michigan Wolverines and the Illinois Fighting Illini. That ranks fifth in the conference currently behind only the Purdue Boilermakers, Michigan State Spartans, and Michigan.
Here is the top of the Big Ten standings currently.
1. Purdue (19-5, 11-2 conference)
2. Michigan State (19-4, 10-2 conference)
3. Michigan (18-5, 10-2 conference)
4. UCLA (18-6, 9-4 conference)
5. Wisconsin (19-5, 9-4 conference)
6. Maryland (17-6, 7-5 conference)
7. Illinois (16-8, 8-6 conference)
While the Badgers and the UCLA Bruins are tied, the latter has the tiebreaker after beating Wisconsin 85-83 earlier in January, and it’s notable that the two teams will not play each other again this year.
Still, Wisconsin is just two games out of first place in the Big Ten, putting into question: can the Badgers win the Big Ten regular-season title? Let’s break it down.
Having played 13 conference games, Wisconsin has seven games to go: at No. 7 Purdue, vs. No. 23 Illinois, vs. Oregon, vs. Washington, at No. 9 Michigan State, at Minnesota, and vs. Penn State.
Of these games, three are bonafide Quad 1 opportunities (Purdue, Illinois, Michigan State), while Oregon could jump into that mix if they improve at least five spots in the NET rankings (currently at No. 35).
But, for the Big Ten regular-season title, Wisconsin faces two key opponents above them in the standings: Purdue and Michigan State.
Purdue has a challenging schedule ahead of them still, having to face Michigan, Michigan State, and Illinois on the road, while taking on Wisconsin, UCLA, and Rutgers at home.
Michigan State, on the other hand, has Illinois, Michigan, and Maryland on the road, while still having to face Wisconsin, Michigan, and Purdue at home.
So, all three teams have some tough matchups ahead of them, with Wisconsin arguably having the easiest schedule of the trio to go.
Moreover, the Badgers would put themselves in a prime place for a top-three seed if they were to beat at least one of Michigan State and Purdue, but that will be a challenge with both games coming on the road.
As it stands, winning the regular season would likely mean a maximum of two losses the rest of the way, as the Badgers are two games behind with seven to go, which would give them a 14-6 conference record on the season.
While that may sound too difficult to overcome with the schedule at hand, the Badgers do have a good chance at a top-four seed if they’re able to upset either Michigan State or Purdue, which would give them the coveted double-bye in the Big Ten tournament.
Although they’re already essentially a lock for the NCAA Tournament, Wisconsin certainly has chances to improve its resume to potentially even move up a line and create better odds of exiting the first weekend of March Madness for the first time since 2017.
Nonetheless, a lot is at stake here for Wisconsin over the final weeks of the season. That includes a potential Big Ten regular-season title, which could be big for the Badgers’ postseason goals.