College basketball rankings: Wisconsin heads into Big Ten Tournament on hot streak after wild win vs. Purdue
The Badgers continue their climb in the Top 25 And 1, where they are ranked No. 23, and could be trouble in the Big Ten tourney
If you heard a team had just recorded a fourth win over an opponent ranked in the top 11 of the NET, and that three of those victories came on the road, you'd probably assume that team is in contention to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
If so, you'd be wrong.
And that's because the team that just recorded a fourth win over an opponent ranked in the top 11 of the NET is Wisconsin, a Big Ten program that isn't even currently ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. That'll change Monday, though, thanks to Saturday's 97-93 victory at Purdue that pushed the Badgers' record to 24-9. And if you're wondering why Wisconsin was unranked in the AP poll this week despite having three wins over top-11 teams in the NET even before Greg Gard's team took the trip to Purdue, the answer is in that previous sentence.
Wisconsin has nine losses.
Only one falls outside of the first two quadrants. That's always better than the alternative. But six of the nine losses are to teams ranked 30th-or-lower in the NET, and that's among the reasons the Badgers were as low as 77th in the NET at one point this season. They're back inside the top 30 now. And the Badgers are also up to No. 23 in Sunday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Duke remains No. 1 for the 15th consecutive day.
Wisconsin will either be the No. 3 seed, No. 4 seed or No. 5 seed in this week's Big Ten Tournament depending on what happens in Sunday's Big Ten games. If you're curious, here's Sunday's Big Ten schedule:
- 12 p.m. ET: Penn State at Rutgers
- 3 p.m. ET: Illinois at Maryland
- 4:30 p.m. Michigan State at Michigan
- 5 p.m. ET: Iowa at Nebraska
You can watch Michigan State-Michigan on CBS or via Paramount+. I'll be doing a 30-minute pregame show on CBS Sports HQ that will start at 4 pm ET. Shortly after the conclusion of Michigan State-Michigan, the Eye On College Basketball Podcast with me and Matt Norlander will go live on YouTube.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Cameron Boozer finished with 26 points and 15 rebounds in Saturday's 76-61 win over North Carolina. The Blue Devils' next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. | -- | 29-2 |
| 2 |  | Yaxel Lendeborg finished with 16 points and eight rebounds in Thursday's 71-68 win at Iowa. The Wolverines' next game is Sunday against Michigan State. | -- | 29-2 |
| 3 |  | Koa Peat finished with 25 points and four assists in Saturday's 89-79 win at Colorado. The Wildcats' next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. | -- | 29-2 |
| 4 |  | Thomas Haugh finished with 20 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 84-77 win at Kentucky. The Gators' next game will be Friday in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. | -- | 25-6 |
| 5 |  | Chase McCarty finished with 20 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 82-75 win at Oklahoma State. The Cougars' next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. | 1 | 26-5 |
| 6 |  | Coen Carr finished with 21 points and six rebounds in Thursday's 91-87 win over Rutgers. The Spartans' next game is Sunday at Michigan. | 1 | 25-6 |
| 7 |  | Jamarques Lawrence missed seven of the eight shots he attempted in Tuesday's 72-52 loss at UCLA. The Cornhuskers' next game is Sunday against Iowa. | 1 | 25-5 |
| 8 |  | Alex Karaban missed all six shots he attempted in Saturday's 68-62 loss at Marquette. The Huskies' next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. | 3 | 27-4 |
| 9 |  | Joshua Jefferson finished with 16 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 86-65 win over Arizona State. The Cyclones' next game will be Wednesday against Cincinnati in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament. | -- | 25-6 |
| 10 |  | Andrej Stojakovic finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds in Tuesday's 80-54 win over Oregon. The Illini's next game is Sunday at Maryland. | -- | 24-7 |
| 11 |  | Malik Thomas finished with 16 points and two steals in Saturday's 76-72 win over Virginia Tech. The Cavaliers' next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. | -- | 27-4 |
| 12 |  | Aden Holloway finished with 21 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 96-84 win over Auburn. The Crimson Tide's next game will be Friday in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. | -- | 23-8 |
| 13 |  | Adam Miller missed eight of the 13 shots he attempted in Saturday's 70-59 loss at Saint Mary's. The Zags' next game will be Monday in the semifinals of the West Coast Conference Tournament. | 1 | 28-3 |
| 14 |  | Braden Smith missed 10 of the 18 shots he attempted in Saturday's 97-93 loss to Wisconsin. The Boilermakers' next game will be Thursday in the third round of the Big Ten Tournament. | 1 | 23-8 |
| 15 |  | Tre White finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 104-85 win over Kansas State. The Jayhawks' next game will be Wednesday against UCF in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament. | -- | 22-9 |
| 16 |  | Meleek Thomas finished with 28 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 88-84 win at Missouri. The Razorbacks' next game will be Friday in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. | 4 | 23-8 |
| 17 |  | Zuby Ejiofor finished with 21 points and two rebounds in Friday's 72-65 win at Seton Hall. The Red Storm's next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. | -- | 25-6 |
| 18 |  | Tyler Tanner finished with 25 points and three assists in Saturday's 86-82 win at Tennessee. The Commodores' next game will be Friday in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. | 4 | 24-7 |
| 19 |  | Eian Elmer finished with 32 points and 12 rebounds in Friday's 110-108 overtime win at Ohio. The RedHawks' next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament. | -- | 31-0 |
| 20 |  | Christian Anderson missed seven of the 11 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 73-65 loss to TCU. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday at BYU. | 4 | 22-9 |
| 21 |  | Mikey Lewis finished with 31 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 70-59 win over Gonzaga. The Gaels' next game will be Monday in the semifinals of the West Coast Conference Tournament. | -- | 27-4 |
| 22 |  | Jonathan Powell missed all four shots he attempted in Saturday's 76-61 loss at Duke. The Tar Heels' next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. | 4 | 24-7 |
| 23 |  | John Blackwell finished with 25 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 97-93 win at Purdue. The Badgers' next game will be either Thursday or Friday in the Big Ten Tournament (dependent on the outcome of Sunday's Big Ten games). | 3 | 22-9 |
| 24 |  | Ryan Conwell finished with 24 points and two assists in Saturday's 92-89 win at Miami. The Cardinals' next game will be Wednesday in the second round of the ACC Tournament. | 1 | 22-9 |
| 25 |  | Tru Washington missed seven of the 11 shots he attempted in Saturday's 92-89 loss to Louisville. The Hurricanes' next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. | 2 | 24-7 |
| 26 |  | Ja'Kobi Gillespie missed 17 of the 22 shots he attempted in Saturday's 86-82 loss to Vanderbilt. The Vols' next game will be Thursday in the second round of the SEC Tournament. | 2 | 21-10 |
