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MADISON, WISCONSIN - FEBRUARY 13: Braeden Carrington #0 of the Wisconsin Badgers reacts after making a three-point shot during the first half against the Michigan State Spartans at Kohl Center on February 13, 2026 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Wisconsin Badgers jumped back into the AP Top 25 this week at No. 24 after wins over the No. 8 Illinois Fighting Illini and No. 10 Michigan State Spartans last week. They were last ranked back in Week 4, so it’s been a long climb back to the rankings.
The Badgers have been making a strong second-half push, being winners of nine of their last 11 games, which includes three top-10 wins, with two of those coming on the road. They’ve got a good shot at ending the season strong, as they’ll likely be favored in every game until they face the Purdue Boilermakers on the road to end the season.
Still, ESPN’s Jay Bilas doesn’t see them as a top-30 team this season. Bilas ranked his top 68 teams on Tuesday in the latest edition of the Bilas Index, and Wisconsin came in at No. 37.
“Wisconsin proved its potential when it handed Michigan its first loss of the season in Ann Arbor on Jan. 10. Now back-to-back victories at Illinois (in overtime) and against Michigan State have been impactful reminders,“ Bilas wrote. ”The Badgers are top 20 nationally in offensive efficiency, and are led by a veteran backcourt duo of Nick Boyd and John Blackwell, who are averaging career highs in scoring with 20.6 PPG for Boyd and 19.0 PPG for Blackwell.“
At No. 37, Bilas has the Badgers behind SMU (No. 36), St. Mary’s (No. 35), Indiana (No. 34), Georgia (No. 33), UCLA (No. 32), Texas (No. 31), and Auburn (No. 30). None of those teams is currently ranked in the AP Top 25.
Wisconsin is the eighth Big Ten team in Bilas’s rankings behind Michigan (No. 1), Illinois (No. 6), Nebraska (No. 10), Purdue (No. 11), Michigan State (No. 12), UCLA (No. 32), and Indiana (No. 34).
Is that a fair ranking for the Badgers?
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