The No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers choked away a 19-point lead in a 80-72 loss to Nebraska in Lincoln last night. The loss drops Wisconsin to 16-5 on the season and 8-2 in Big Ten play, now 0.5 games behind Purdue for first place in the Big Ten standings.
Nebraska had been nearly perfect at home entering the contest, entering with a 13-1 overall home record and 5-0 in Big Ten play — even Purdue lost by 16 on the road in Lincoln. That context takes a bit of the sting off of the loss, but doesn’t explain the massive blown lead and horrid second half.
Regardless, the Badgers remain one of the top contenders in the conference and one of the best teams in the nation. This group is still on pace to be Greg Gard’s best offensive team since taking over as head coach in 2015-2016, arguably his deepest and maybe his best overall.
So, believe it or not, Wisconsin remains one of KenPom’s top teams in the Big Ten despite the loss. Here are those full power rankings, exactly halfway through the conference schedule: