The Badgers have sneakily been one of the best teams in the country this season.
The Wisconsin Badgers have been one of the biggest surprises in the Big Ten this season, as the preseason media poll had them projected to finish 12th in the conference.
Instead, they’re firmly inside the top four in the standings, which has led to a top-20 ranking in the AP Top 25. Efficiency metrics and seven Quad 1 wins have been Wisconsin’s biggest selling point this season, as they’ve been a top-10 offensive team, while putting together some quality wins against top competition.
The final month of the regular season is now upon us, with the Badgers having seven games left before the Big Ten Tournament, where they’re aiming to maintain a top-four seed.
Following that will be the NCAA Tournament, where Wisconsin has already essentially locked itself into the field and is currently projected as a No. 4 seed. Heading into the last portion of the season, there are questions as to what Wisconsin’s ceiling can be in March.
The Badgers haven’t made it out of the first weekend since 2016-17, which was head coach Greg Gard’s first full season as the head coach at Wisconsin. But, they arguably have their best roster under Gard, competing with the 2021-22 team that won the Big Ten title.
NCAA Basketball analyst Evan Miyakawa shared his latest current predicted efficiency landscape, splitting teams into tiers based on their success.
Here is the current predicted team efficiency landscape, based on ratings from https://t.co/cegyfz8ykZ, split into tiers.
The last nine national champs have been in the “Title Favorites” group on Selection Sunday. Right now it’s just Auburn, Duke, Houston, Florida, and Alabama. pic.twitter.com/K8pq77Fzq0
— Evan Miyakawa (@EvanMiya) February 12, 2025
Currently, the Badgers are entrenched in the ‘Final Four Potential’ tier, which is better than where they were last season, when they were in the ‘Hit or Miss’ category and ended as a first-round exit.
While efficiency metrics aren’t the lone indicator of where teams end up in the frenzy that is March Madness, it is a good metric to gauge consistency, as the National Champions have come from the top tier in each of the last nine seasons.
Making it out of the first weekend should be Wisconsin’s priority this season after the success it’s seen thus far, and it’s favorably ranked when it comes to predictive efficiency measures, as seen by the chart above.
Can they live up to the hype and expectations this offseason? We’re getting closer to seeing what the Badgers ceiling is this season, and an upcoming three-game stretch against Purdue, Illinois, and Oregon could be a good indicator to gauge where this team is at the moment.