After notching eight straight wins to start to 2024-25 season, Wisconsin is now up to No. 11 on the latest USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll.
Wisconsin played just one game this past week, a 74-53 win over the Chicago State Cougars at the Kohl Center. Losses from the Indiana Hoosiers, Alabama Crimson Tide, Houston Cougars and North Carolina Tar Heels prompted voters to elevate the undefeated Badgers to No. 11 on the most recent list.
Wisconsin’s upward trajectory is apparent. The Badgers failed to garner any consideration in the first in-season update after landing in the ‘receiving votes’ section in the preseason edition of the poll. Greg Gard’s team is now No. 11 in the latest update, plus No. 15 in the AP Poll, and drawing national headlines courtesy of superstar wing John Tonje.
Kansas remains the No. 1 in the poll after securing a statement win over Duke on Nov. 26. The Jayhawks are followed by No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 Tennessee, No. 4 Marquette and No. 5 Iowa State. Notably, two-time defending national champion UConn dropped out of the hierarchy entirely after three straight losses.
Including Wisconsin, a total of six Big Ten squads cracked Dec. 2’s installation of the top-25 list. Oregon, which beat both Texas A&M and Alabama during the week, moved up a staggering 27 spots in the poll while Michigan State and Michigan both entered the poll as well.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas | 7-0 | 760 (19) |
| 2 | Auburn | 7-0 | 755 (12) |
| 3 | Tennessee | 7-0 | 694 |
| 4 | Marquette | 8-0 | 646 |
| 5 | Iowa State | 5-1 | 629 |
| 6 | Kentucky | 7-0 | 628 |
| 7 | Purdue | 7-1 | 535 |
| 8 | Gonzaga | 7-1 | 517 |
| 9 | Duke | 5-2 | 472 |
| 10 | Oregon | 8-0 | 457 |
| 11 | Wisconsin | 8-0 | 450 |
| 12 | Alabama | 6-2 | 441 |
| 13 | Florida | 8-0 | 427 |
| 14 | Cincinnati | 6-0 | 376 |
| 15 | Memphis | 6-1 | 265 |
| 16 | Baylor | 5-2 | 262 |
| 17 | Illinois | 6-1 | 234 |
| 18 | Houston | 4-3 | 221 |
| 19 | Pittsburgh | 7-1 | 213 |
| 20 | Ole Miss | 6-1 | 139 |
| 21 | Oklahoma | 7-0 | 111 |
| 22 | North Carolina | 4-3 | 96 |
| 23 | Michigan | 6-1 | 90 |
| 24 | Texas A&M | 6-2 | 86 |
| 25 | Michigan State | 6-2 | 73 |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 2 UConn; No. 15 Indiana; No. 19 Creighton; No. 21 Arkansas; No. 22 Xavier; No. 23 Arizona;
Others Receiving Votes
UConn 63; San Diego State 56; Texas 54; Mississippi State 39; Arizona State 39; Drake 34; Texas Tech 32; Arkansas 28; UCLA 17; Xavier 16; BYU 16; Ohio State 15; Utah State 13; Saint Mary’s 12; Dayton 10; St. John’s 8; Nebraska 8; Indiana 8; Creighton 8; West Virginia 5; Maryland 5; Clemson 5; Georgia 3; Arizona 2; UC Irvine 1; Nevada 1;
Wisconsin is back on the court on Dec. 3 against Michigan. Greg Gard’s team will then gear up for its iconic I-94 rivalry game against a formidable Marquette Golden Eagles team on Dec. 7 at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.