Purdue remains No. 1 in Saturday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings simply because the Boilermakers have the sport's best body of work thanks to a 6-2 record in Quadrant 1 opportunities with zero additional losses.
Purdue, however, does not have the Big Ten's best record.
That belongs to Wisconsin, which improved to 6-1 in the conference Friday night with a 91-79 victory over an Indiana team that's now 0-6 in Quadrant 1 opportunities and down to 99th in the NET. The Badgers, meantime, are 8-4 in the first two quadrants with only one loss falling outside of Q1. That's among the reasons Greg Gard's program remains No. 10 in the Top 25 And 1.
Max Klesmit was the star against IU.
The 6-foot-4 fourth-year player took 11 shots, made eight of them and finished with 26 points and two steals in 30 minutes. Incredibly, Klesmit scored 20 straight points for Wisconsin during a stretch in the second half.
"He's obviously extremely confident," Gard said. "He's worked on his game too. He's gotten better. He's better physically. He's quicker. He's changed his body in a positive way. I think the confidence for him that started last year and blossomed in the offseason [is] obviously … showing now."
Let the record show that I still have Purdue repeating as the Big Ten's champion, perhaps by multiple games. But I've seen enough to believe that Wisconsin should be considered a serious threat to the Boilermakers — as should Illinois, especially if Terrence Shannon Jr. is actually going to rejoin the program and play with rape charges pending. We'll find out Sunday, I suppose, when the Illini play Rutgers. Either way, my point is that after only being tied for sixth to win the Big Ten in the preseason betting markets, the Badgers now have the second-best odds to take the league crown at +450. Only Purdue has better odds at -300.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Zach Edey finished with 33 points and 14 rebounds in Tuesday's 87-66 win at Indiana. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday at Iowa. | -- | 5-1 |
| 2 |  | Tristen Newton finished with 16 points and eight rebounds in Wednesday's 62-48 win over Creighton. The Huskies' next game is Saturday at Villanova. | -- | 4-2 |
| 3 |  | Kevin McCullar finished with 18 points and eight rebounds in a 90-66 win over Oklahoma State. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday at West Virginia. | -- | 5-0 |
| 4 |  | RJ Davis finished with 21 points and six assists in Wednesday's 86-70 win over Louisville. The Tar Heels' next game is Saturday at Boston College. | -- | 4-1 |
| 5 |  | Dalton Knecht finished with 39 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 85-66 win over Florida. The Vols' next game is Saturday against Alabama. | -- | 6-0 |
| 6 |  | Jamal Shead finished with 29 points and 10 assists in Wednesday's 77-54 win over Texas Tech. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against UCF. | -- | 3-1 |
| 7 |  | Caleb Love finished with 20 points and five assists in Wednesday's 82-67 win over USC. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against UCLA. | -- | 2-2 |
| 8 |  | Kyle Filipowski finished with 30 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday's 84-79 win over Georgia Tech. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against Pitt. | -- | 4-1 |
| 9 |  | Jaylin Williams finished with 21 points and eight rebounds in Wednesday's 80-65 win at Vanderbilt. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Ole Miss. | -- | 5-0 |
| 10 |  | Max Klesmit finished with 26 points and two steals in Friday's 91-79 win over Indiana. The Badgers' next game is Tuesday at Minnesota. | -- | 7-0 |
| 11 |  | RayJ Dennis was 2 of 14 from the field in Tuesday's 68-64 loss at Kansas State. The Bears' next game is Saturday at Texas. | -- | 4-2 |
| 12 |  | Antonio Reeves finished with 27 points and four rebounds in Wednesday's 90-77 win over Mississippi State. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Georgia. | -- | 6-0 |
| 13 |  | Jalon Moore finished with 16 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 77-63 win over West Virginia. The Sooners' next game is Saturday at Cincinnati. | -- | 4-0 |
| 14 |  | DaRon Holmes finished with 29 points and 14 rebounds in Tuesday's 70-65 win over Saint Louis. The Flyers' next game is Saturday against Rhode Island. | -- | 5-1 |
| 15 |  | Darius Brown II was 4 of 13 from the field in Tuesday's 99-86 loss at New Mexico. The Aggies' next game is Saturday against Fresno State. | -- | 5-0 |
| 16 |  | Spencer Johnson finished with 28 points and five assists in Tuesday's 87-72 win over Iowa State. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at Texas Tech. | -- | 5-0 |
| 17 |  | Jaykwon Walton was 1 of 6 from the field in Thursday's 74-73 loss to South Florida. The Tigers' next game is Sunday at Tulane. | -- | 6-0 |
| 18 |  | Tamin Lipsey was 4-of-12 from the field in Tuesday's 85-72 loss at BYU. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday at TCU. | -- | 3-1 |
| 19 |  | Jaedon LeDee finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds in Wednesday's 71-59 win over Nevada. The Aztecs' next game is Saturday at Boise State. | -- | 3-1 |
| 20 |  | Nique Clifford finished with 21 points and seven rebounds in Friday's 78-75 win over UNLV. The Rams' next game is Wednesday at Nevada. | -- | 3-2 |
| 21 |  | Kam Jones finished with 22 points and six rebounds in Monday's 87-74 win over Villanova. The Golden Eagles' next game is Saturday at St. John's. | -- | 6-0 |
| 22 |  | Coleman Hawkins finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds in Thursday's 88-73 win at Michigan. The Illini's next game is Sunday against Rutgers. | -- | 5-1 |
| 23 |  | Al-Amir Dawes finished with 21 points and one assist in Tuesday's 80-65 win over St. John's. The Pirates' next game is Saturday against Creighton. | -- | 4-3 |
| 24 |  | Trey Alexander was 3 of 12 from the field in Wednesday's 62-48 loss at UConn. The Bluejays' next game is Saturday at Seton Hall. | -- | 4-2 |
| 25 |  | Nelly Junior Joseph finished with 26 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 99-86 win over Utah State. The Lobos' next game is Saturday at Air Force. | -- | 5-1 |
| 26 |  | Pop Isaacs was 4 of 15 from the field in Wednesday's 77-54 loss at Houston. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday against BYU. | -- | 5-1 |
