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Where is Duke basketball in the ESPN BPI rankings after Monday’s win over NC State?

See where the Duke Blue Devils are in the ESPN Basketball Powder Index after Monday’s victory over the NC State Wolfpack.

[autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] saved the day for Duke men’s basketball again on Monday night, scoring 23 of his 28 points after halftime in a comeback victory over the NC State Wolfpack. After another upset scare against an unranked in-state rival, however, the Blue Devils couldn’t quite grab the top spot in the ESPN Basketball Power Index.

As of Tuesday morning, the Blue Devils are second in the ESPN metrics behind the Houston Cougars.

Monday’s win required a 13-point comeback over the final 24 minutes just two days after Duke coughed up a 13-point halftime lead to Wake Forest in Winston-Salem. The Blue Devils overcame a six-point hole in the final ten minutes against the Demon Deacons to remain undefeated in conference play.

While Duke’s 14-game win streak leads all programs, the Cougars have won 12 consecutive games. Two of Houston’s three losses came in overtime back in November, and head coach Kelvin Sampson’s teams always lead the nation in defensive ratings. The Cougars and Tennessee Volunteers are the only two teams above Duke in ESPN’s defensive power index, and those three are the only power-conference programs allowing fewer than 60 points per game.

The Auburn Tigers, Volunteers, and Iowa State Cyclones followed Duke to complete ESPN’s top five.

Wisconsin basketball surges in KenPom, ESPN’s BPI after win over Nebraska

Wisconsin basketball surges in KenPom, ESPN BPI after win over Nebraska

Wisconsin basketball notched an important win on Sunday. After the team’s seven-game winning streak was recently snapped on the road at UCLA, it bounced back with a dominant 83-55 win over Nebraska.

The Badgers improved to 16-4 (6-3 Big Ten) with the triumph. The result importantly held the team’s spot at No. 4 in the Big Ten standings, still 2 1/2 games behind first-place Michigan State.

The 28-point triumph also adds to Wisconsin’s growing list of dominant conference victories. That resume now includes wins of 31 points (Iowa), 12 (Rutgers), 21 (Minnesota), 12 (USC) and 28 (Nebraska).

Wisconsin’s win-loss record will matter far more for March Madness seeding than how those games are specifically decided. But the team finding dominant wins over inferior competition, plus only losing narrowly to top teams, continues to raise what was already a sky-high ceiling.

Importantly, results like Sunday’s win continue to raise the team’s ranking in predictive metrics, including KenPom and the ESPN BPI. Here is where the Badgers now rank, both nationally and in the 18-team Big Ten:

KenPom: No. 14 overall (up from No. 21) and No. 3 in the Big Ten, with the No. 7 offense and No. 50 defense in the country.
ESPN BPI: No. 22 overall (up three spots) and No. 5 in the Big Ten, with a projected record of 22.6 – 8.4 and a 10.5% chance to win the Big Ten.

The Badgers’ most notable jump is on the defensive side of the court. Top-end offensive efficiency has defined the team’s season to date. A return to the program’s classic defensive dominance is what was needed for the team to reach contention. Its standing in KenPom reflects that improvement, as Wisconsin is up more than 30 spots in defensive efficiency compared to where it stood earlier in the season. That boosted the team’s overall ranking up to No. 14, just six spots behind Purdue (No. 8 overall, No. 1 Big Ten).

Wisconsin is back on the court on Wednesday on the road at Maryland (KenPom No. 21). Another signature victory could send the Badgers closer to KenPom’s top 10 and, more importantly, closer to the top of the Big Ten standings.

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Where are the Duke Blue Devils in the ESPN Basketball Powder Index after Saturday’s win?

See where the Duke Blue Devils are in the ESPN Basketball Power Index after Saturday’s win over Wake Forest.

The Duke men’s basketball team did what it’s done for almost two months now on Saturday: win. The Blue Devils nearly let a 13-point halftime lead slip away on the road against Wake Forest, trailing by six with 10 minutes left on the clock, but a defensive adjustment to zone by head coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] flummoxed the Demon Deacons enough for another Duke win.

The 63-56 victory, Duke’s 13th in a row, wasn’t enough for the Blue Devils to stay atop the ESPN Basketball Power Index. As of Sunday morning, the Houston Cougars jumped over the Blue Devils for ESPN’s top spot.

Freshman sensation [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] scored 24 points against Wake, but Duke’s 63 points were the fewest it’s scored this season. The Cougars, for their part, have won 12 straight games after Saturday’s double-overtime win over Kansas.

ESPN still holds Duke’s offense and defense in high regard. The Blue Devils sit second in offensive power index and third in defensive power index, the only team above 11.0 in both metrics. No other program is within the top six in both categories.

Wisconsin basketball rises the ESPN BPI following road loss vs. UCLA

Despite dropping a nail-biter to UCLA on Tuesday, the Wisconsin Badgers rose four spots in ESPN’s updated Basketball Power Index.

While the Badgers remained at No. 21 in the most recent KenPom hierarchy, ESPN’s metric moved Greg Gard’s group from No. 28 to No. 24. The outlet now projects UW’s win-loss record at 22.1-8.9, the sixth-best forecast in the Big Ten.

As of Jan. 22, Illinois (No. 9), Purdue (No. 12), Michigan State (No. 16), Michigan (No. 20) and Maryland (No. 22) are the only Big Ten teams to land ahead of the Badgers. Outside of Florida, Texas Tech and St. John’s, UW made the largest leap of any team inside the ESPN BPI’s top 30.

Wisconsin also has an 8.7% chance of winning the Big Ten title this season, a minor increase from its standing on Jan. 19 after defeating USC.

UCLA, meanwhile, moved up three spots to No. 34 following Tuesday’s rsult.

The Badgers’ revamped offensive pace and efficiency has certainly boosted their positions in rating metrics such as the BPI and KenPom. The team’s recent seven-game win streak, which included five wins against Big Ten teams, aided that sentiment.

UW is back on the hardwood on Jan. 26 vs. Nebraska at the Kohl Center. It then travels for a road game against Maryland Terrapins on Jan. 29.

Cooper Flagg and Duke Blue Devils rise to top overall spot in ESPN Basketball Power Index

With another 20-point victory on the resume, the Duke Blue Devils jumped back atop the ESPN Basketball Power Index rankings on Sunday.

The Duke Blue Devils looked vulnerable for a few minutes on Saturday night.

The best team in the ACC fell behind Boston College 18-11 in the first nine minutes as the Eagles made everything they looked at. Freshman superstar [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], after a torrid three-week shooting stretch, opened just one-for-five from the field, and first-year center [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] picked up two early foul calls.

So, naturally, Duke won by 25 points.

The Blue Devils pulled away for another blowout at Conte Forum, giving them a 12th straight victory. Nine of those came by more than 20 points, so it’s easy to see why Duke returned to the No. 1 overall spot in the ESPN Basketball Power Index on Sunday.

Duke limited the Eagles to 29 second-half points, and it has now prevented 14 of its 18 opponents from scoring more than 65 for the game. Combine that with an offense that has broken the 80-point barrier in six of its last seven games, and the Blue Devils’ prowess becomes obvious. ESPN considers the team from Durham the second-best offense and third-best defense in the nation, and the Blue Devils are the only team with an index above 11.0 on both ends of the floor.

The Houston Cougars, Auburn Tigers, Tennessee Volunteers, and Iowa State Cyclones followed to make up the top five, but there’s a clear divide between the elite teams and everyone else. The gap between Duke and Iowa State is wider than the gap between the Cyclones and Mississippi State at No. 24.

With no other ACC team inside the top 25 of the BPI rankings, Duke is projected to finish with 18.9 wins in 20 conference games.

Wisconsin basketball’s updated standing in KenPom and ESPN BPI after USC win

Wisconsin basketball’s updated ranking in KenPom and ESPN BPI after USC win

Wisconsin basketball continues to trend toward the top tier of the Big Ten standings. Its latest step forward was Saturday’s 84-69 road win over USC.

The Badgers have turned their season around after a three-game losing streak in early December. They have since won seven straight, including Big Ten wins over Iowa, Rutgers, Minnesota, Ohio State and USC. That surge has the team up to No. 4 (tied with Illinois) in the conference standings, just 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Michigan State Spartans.

Wisconsin’s top-of-the-nation offensive efficiency has been a significant factor in its strong play. The team averages 82.4 points per game (29th in the nation), highlighted by a 116-point outburst against Iowa. It managed 84 points in the win over USC despite leading scorer John Tonje finishing with zero points on 0-of-3 shooting. That output proved its depth of quality contributors: John Blackwell (28 points) and Max Klesmit (18 points) led the way.

Another developing story is the Badgers’ defensive improvement. The team allows an average of 70.3 points per game. That rate is aided by opponents averaging 64.75 points over the last four games.

Wisconsin’s defensive efficiency numbers have jumped during its stretch of Big Ten wins to begin the calendar year. They are a big reason for the team’s current standing in both KenPom and the ESPN BPI:

KenPom: No. 21 overall (same ranking as it held after the Ohio State win) and No. 5 in the Big Ten, with the No. 12 offense and No. 46 defense in the country.
ESPN BPI: No. 25 overall (up three spots) and No. 6 in the Big Ten, with a projected record of 22.6 – 8.4 and a 8.6% chance to win the Big Ten.

That chance to win the conference has been on steady rise the last few weeks. The Badgers are flashing top form as several of the conference’s top contenders are showing signs of weakness. Michigan‘s loss at Minnesota and Illinois’ home loss to USC are two of many examples.

Wisconsin remains in Los Angeles, California, the next few days before a Tuesday night game against UCLA. The Bruins are No. 31 and No. 32 in KenPom and the BPI, respectively. They recently ended a losing streak with a blowout win over Iowa.

The Badgers could take another significant step forward with a win over the Bruins. Not just in the listed predictive metrics, but also in the AP Poll, bracketology and other national rankings.

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Duke basketball stays second in the ESPN Basketball Power Index despite Miami blowout

The Duke Blue Devils won by 35 points on Tuesday, but it wasn’t enough to give them the top spot in the ESPN Basketball Power Index.

The Duke Blue Devils certainly looked like the best team in the country on Tuesday night, hanging 50 points on the Miami Hurricanes before halftime en route to a 35-point victory, but the ESPN Basketball Power Index holds one other team in slightly higher.

As of Wednesday morning, the Blue Devils sit second behind the Houston Cougars in ESPN’s metrics.

The Cougars, a top-2 seed in three of the last four NCAA Tournaments, lost three of their first seven games, but they’ve rattled off eight in a row to sit 12-3 for the season. Two of Houston’s three losses came in overtime, and it dominates the rest of the country with a 14.3 defensive index. The Tennessee Volunteers are second in that category by ESPN’s tracking, but the gap between them and the Cougars is the same as the gap between them and Illinois at No. 11.

The Blue Devils have held nine of their last 11 opponents to 65 points or fewer, and they’ve scored at least 82 in five of their last six. The totality puts Duke second on ESPN’s offensive leaderboard and fourth on defense, the only team in the top seven in both categories.

Duke’s next opponent, the Boston College Eagles, rank last among ACC teams at No. 151.

Where Wisconsin ranks in KenPom, ESPN BPI after big win over Ohio State

Wisconsin basketball picked up a resume-boosting home victory over Ohio State on Tuesday night.

While the 80-78 triumph was a bit too close for comfort due to the Badgers relinquishing a 17-point halftime lead, the result still counts as the team’s second Quad 1 victory of the season.

Wisconsin is 2-3 in Quad 1 games (wins over Arizona and Ohio State; losses to Michigan, Illinois and Marquette), 5-0 against Quad 2 opponents and 7-0 against everybody else. The team continues to build a strong NCAA Tournament resume as it emerges as a possible contender to win the Big Ten.

Rating metrics retain their optimistic outlook for the Badgers after its win over a highly ranked Buckeyes team. Wisconsin remains in the Big Ten’s top tier in both KenPom and ESPN BPI:

KenPom: No. 21 overall (same ranking as it held after the Minnesota win) and No. 5 in the Big Ten, with the No. 12 offense and No. 50 defense in the country.
ESPN BPI: No. 28 overall (down one spot) and No. 6 in the Big Ten, with a projected record of 21.9 – 9.1 and a 7.3% chance to win the Big Ten.

Wisconsin’s defensive progression is the most evident development from the predictive metrics, KenPom specifically. The Badgers have risen to their current No. 50 slot in defensive efficiency after sitting in the mid-80s entering the calendar year. Greg Gard has highlighted that end of the court as a big difference between Wisconsin being good and it being championship-ready.

The Badgers are back on the court on Saturday to face a USC team (KenPom No. 63) that registered big wins over Illinois and Iowa. They continue with a road game at struggling UCLA (KenPom No. 37) on Tuesday. The two-game West Coast road trip will be Wisconsin’s first in the conference’s new era.

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Duke basketball drops one spot in the ESPN Basketball Power Index despite Notre Dame win

Despite Saturday’s win over Notre Dame, Duke’s tenth in a row, the Blue Devils lost the No. 1 spot in the ESPN Basketball Power Index.

The Duke Blue Devils won on Saturday. Yes, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish put up 78 points at Cameroon Indoor Stadium thanks to a 14/24 (58.3%) shooting performance from 3-point range, but star Duke freshman [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] put up a staggering 42 points to hold the road team at bay.

Despite the win, however, the Blue Devils lost their grip on the top spot in the ESPN Basketball Power Index on Sunday morning.

Duke (23.3) is one of three teams with a BPI rating above 23.0, but the Houston Cougars (24.2) jumped up to the No. 1 ranking after their 30-point win over Kansas State. Houston has now won eight games in a row to reach 12-3 for the season, and two of its losses back in November came in overtime.

The Auburn Tigers, who hold the top spot over Duke in the KenPom rankings and NET rankings, fit in narrowly behind the Blue Devils at No. 3 with a 23.2 rating. No other team sits above 20.1.

While most metrics consider the Blue Devils a defensive team, holding 12 of their first 16 opponents to 65 points or fewer, ESPN actually has a higher opinion of the Duke offense. Flagg and the Blue Devils sport a 12.5 offensive power index, second only to Auburn, and they’re just fourth on the defensive side with a 10.9.

No other team is within the top eight on both ends.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are the second-best ACC team in ESPN’s mind despite six early losses, but UNC is only 25th on the board. Miami, the next team on Duke’s schedule, dropped down 14 spots to No. 92 with a 4-12 record.

Wisconsin basketball continues momentum in KenPom, ESPN BPI with win over Minnesota

Where the Badgers rank in KenPom, ESPN BPI after Minnesota win

Wisconsin basketball improved to 13-3 on the season and 3-2 in Big Ten play with a decisive 80-59 win over Minnesota on Friday.

The win continues the team’s strong momentum to start the calendar year. The Badgers have now won five straight games dating back to Dec. 14, including over Big Ten opponents Iowa, Rutgers, and now Minnesota.

The Badgers have continued their strong offensive performance through this stretch. They are averaging 86 points per game, highlighted by a record-breaking 116-point showing against Iowa.

More significantly, the team is rounding into form defensively. It is allowing just 69 points per game over its last three wins. Defense defined the victory over the Golden Gophers, as Wisconsin held Minnesota to just 45 points through the first 35 minutes of game action. Wisconsin had a 29-point lead at that time. The game was in hand, which allowed Minnesota to close on a mini-run to boost its scoring total.

The defensive side of the court will define Wisconsin’s postseason success. Strong complimentary play, highlighted by top-end defense, will be required for the team to finally make a deep run in March.

As of Jan. 11, rating metrics are taking note of that defensive improvement. Here is where the Badgers stand in both KenPom and the ESPN BPI after the win over Minnesota:

KenPom: No. 21 overall (same ranking as it held after the Rutgers win) and No. 6 in the Big Ten, with the No. 12 offense and No. 56 defense in the country.
ESPN BPI: No. 27 overall (up four spots) and No. 6 in the Big Ten, with a projected record of 21.6 – 9.4 and a 7.2% chance to win the Big Ten.

Of note, Wisconsin’s KenPom defensive rating has shot up from the 80s into the mid-50s. That trajectory should lead to a further rise over the coming weeks.

The Badgers are back on the court on Tuesday for a home game against Ohio State. They may again carry a ranking in the AP Poll by the time that game tips off.

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