Wisconsin basketball landed at No. 15 in the latest AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll on Monday.
After being ranked No. 19 in the poll’s Week 3 installation, Wisconsin earned 666 points in this week’s update to leapfrog Cincinnati and Arizona to claim the No., 15 spot in the hierarchy.
Just two Big Ten teams, Indiana (No. 14) and Purdue (No. 13), rank higher than Wisconsin on this week’s list.
For context, UW received 370 points in Week 3 after securing a signature win over Arizona, which held the No. 9 position at the time of the victory. Wisconsin’s wins over UT Rio Grande Valley, UCF and Pittsburgh have reassured voters of the team’s status as one of college basketball’s best teams thus far.
Wisconsin’s win over Pittsburgh put an exclamation on that impressive start. Backed by 33 points from star wing John Tonje, UW rallied back from a 14-point deficit to vanquish Pittsburgh on Nov. 24 to secure the program’s third November non-conference tournament title since 2021.
Making the jump UP‼️ 📈📈📈📈 pic.twitter.com/aTPtPYLWcn
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) November 25, 2024
As they did in Week 3, Wisconsin also rocketed up the latest KenPom ranking and ESPN’s latest BPI. After being ranked No. 40 in the KenPom list before the Greenbrier Tip-Off, the Badgers are up 14 spots in KenPom to No. 26 overall, with the No. 12-rated offense and No. 72 defense.
ESPN’s latest BPI update has the Badgers at No. 27 overall with a projected final record of 21.8-9.2.
Tonje, who is playing like one of the best talents in all of college basketball, is averaging a stellar 23.0 points per game of 54.3% from the floor, over 40% from deep and over 95% fro the line.
As a team, UW is averaging nearly 87 points per game off 47.9% from the field, 36.3% from beyond the arc and a blistering 86.5% from the free throw line.
Wisconsin’s next game is at home against Chicago State on Nov. 30.