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Wisconsin fails to receive votes in latest AP and USA TODAY Coaches Polls

Wisconsin basketball failed to receive votes in the latest editions of both the AP Poll and USA TODAY Coaches Poll.

The team is off a 1-1 week which saw a comfortable home victory against Rutgers and a narrow road defeat at the hands of top-ranked Purdue. The regular season-ending frame put the Badgers record at 19-12 overall and 11-9 in Big Ten play — marks good enough for an NCAA Tournament birth but not good enough for inclusion in either top 25.

Today was the final edition of each poll before most postseason tournaments begin. Next week will be the final polls before the start of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Wisconsin is scheduled to play its first Big Ten Tournament contest Thursday afternoon against the winner of Rutgers and Maryland. Wins would mean more matchups for Greg Gard’s team, something it may need to improve its standing before Selection Sunday.

NEW: College Basketball AP Poll🏀https://t.co/x0juiASX9l pic.twitter.com/ykYlign9iT

— On3 (@On3sports) March 11, 2024

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Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

Wisconsin’s class of 2025 rises in national ranking after latest addition

Luke Fickell’s 2025 class continues to rise:

Wisconsin football received a commitment from class of 2025 defensive lineman Torin Pettaway Thursday afternoon.

The commitment is the program’s ninth in the class of 2025, a strong start to a cycle that is critical to the continued success of the Luke Fickell era.

The addition of Pettaway brings Wisconsin’s 2025 group up to No. 8 nationally on 247Sports, but still No. 3 in the new Big Ten. The Badgers are ranked behind only Notre Dame, Clemson, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State and Auburn.

It’s early in the process, and Wisconsin is currently without a blue-chip recruit in the class. But the foundation is being built early for a group that Badgers fans hope will best the program’s No. 25-ranked class of 2024.

#JumpAroundMadTown25 pic.twitter.com/RUbSCSWQ33

— Luke Fickell (@CoachFick) March 7, 2024

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Luke Fickell finished the 2024 cycle with Wisconsin’s highest-rated recruiting class in history

Thoughts on Luke Fickell’s first full recruiting cycle as head coach?

Luke Fickell’s class of 2024, his first full recruiting class as head coach at Wisconsin, can be labeled a resounding success.

Time will ultimately tell how each signee in the group performs, and whether that occurs in Madison or elsewhere. But now that the 2024 cycle has officially concluded, we can officially give props to Fickell’s effort.

Wisconsin’s class finished ranked No. 25 in the nation with 22 total signees. It also slotted as the No. 7-ranked class in the new Big Ten, behind Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, USC and Nebraska in that order. Notably, it was the program’s first time ever boasting a blue chip ratio of 50%.

It is headlined by four-star OT Kevin Haywood (No. 50 overall, 96 rating), four-star DL Ernest Willor Jr. (No. 120 overall, 94 rating), four-star RB Dilin Jones (No. 139 overall, 94 rating) and four-star DL Dillan Johnson (No. 161 overall, 93 rating).

An account on X recently compared Fickell’s class to what the Badgers have done in the past. The findings: the class boasts the highest average recruit ranking in program history.

Luke Fickell secured the Badgers best recruiting class EVER in 2024 by AVG Recruit Ranking, the class beat out the 2021 class by .02 points and was 2.01 points higher than the 2023 class. Wisconsin was able to bring in 11 four star recruits including OT Kevin Heywood and RB Dilin… pic.twitter.com/u6Wv4d6j8j

— NCAAF Nation (@NCAAFNation247) March 6, 2024

I’m a big believer in average recruit ranking telling a better story than total composite score. 10 five-star recruits would be a better class than 40 three-stars, but that’s not what the numbers necessarily show.

Semantics aside, Fickell should be praised for his recruiting efforts this cycle as he works to install his program on both sides of the football.

The future of Wisconsin in the new Big Ten is very much unknown. What is known: the Badgers must recruit at this level and higher for the program to join the conference’s elites.

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Wisconsin remains on outside of both AP and USA TODAY Coaches Polls

What do you expect from Wisconsin basketball in March?

Wisconsin basketball remains on the outside looking in on the latest edition of both the AP Poll and USA TODAY Coaches Poll.

The ranking is no surprise. The Badgers are off a 0-2 week which saw an inexplicable road loss to Indiana and a demoralizing home defeat to No. 12 Illinois.

Greg Gard’s team is now 18-11 overall and 10-8 in Big Ten play, down significantly from the 16-4 (8-1 Big Ten) marks entering February. That’s what a streak of losing seven of nine will do, especially in a sport as volatile as college basketball.

The Badgers have faced one of the nation’s toughest schedules. But that isn’t an excuse for the steep regression in the last five weeks.

NEW: College Basketball AP Poll🏀https://t.co/gbYtZtfLlB pic.twitter.com/RIa3o3uhAp

— On3 (@On3sports) March 4, 2024

Wisconsin returns to the court Thursday night at the Kohl Center against 15-14 (7-11 Big Ten) Rutgers. The Badgers will look for revenge after suffering a blowout loss to the Scarlet Knights, a loss which was a big part of their big losing skid.

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Where Wisconsin’s class of 2025 stands after its latest commitment

What should be considered a success for Luke Fickell’s second full recruiting class?

Wisconsin landed a commitment from class of 2025 linebacker Samuel Lateju Monday afternoon. The commitment is the program’s eighth in the class, and first since the end of January.

Luke Fickell’s group now ranks No. 9 in the nation, and No. 3 in the new Big Ten behind Ohio State and Penn State.

Of note, the class is currently without a blue-chip recruit — that after Fickell’s 2024 class finished with a blue-chip ratio of 50%. Wisconsin’s current top-10 ranking is due more to volume than top-end quality, though months remain before the cycle comes to a close.

The 2025 cycle is a critical one for Fickell and his coaching staff.

First, Wisconsin experienced turnover on its coaching staff throughout the offseason. Fickell’s new hires must continue 2024’s recruiting success without a hitch.

Second, Fickell’s vision for the program will only succeed with improved talent. The Badgers’ place in the new Big Ten is currently unknown, especially as new members join and divisions are eliminated. The correlation between recruiting success and on-field results has never been higher for this program.

The 2025 cycle must continue 2024’s success for Wisconsin’s standing in the conference to rise.

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Wisconsin football class of 2025 commitment tracker

Your up-to-date tracker for Wisconsin’s class of 2025:

As things stand today (March 7, 2024) the Wisconsin Badgers now have nine players committed to their class of 2025.

The class currently ranks No. 8 in the nation and No. 3 in the new Big Ten, though is yet to receive a commitment from a blue-chip recruit.

The recruiting cycle is a critical one for head coach Luke Fickell as he continues to try to shape Wisconsin into his program. His 2024 class was a success, finishing No. 25 in the nation with a blue chip ratio of 50%. Now that success must be carried into future classes as the roster gets built.

As that process continues, here is a tracker for all of Wisconsin’s commits in the class of 2025, updated each time a recruit is added:

Where Wisconsin basketball ranks in key metrics entering the final stretch of Big Ten play

What will Wisconsin’s record be in its final four Big Ten games?

Wisconsin basketball returns to the court Tuesday night in Bloomington, Indiana for a crucial road test against the Indiana Hoosiers.

The Badgers will have been idle for a full week in between its games against Maryland and Indiana. The restful period precedes a gauntlet final stretch of their Big Ten schedule: at Indiana, vs No. 12 Indiana, vs Rutgers and at No. 3 Purdue.

Things appear to have stabilized since the program’s early February nosedive. The Badgers have now won two of three, with the only loss coming at the buzzer in overtime at Iowa.

Greg Gard’s team still has work to do as it prepares for postseason play. But despite its recent struggles, the team is still viewed favorably by most major metrics.

Here is a round-up of where Wisconsin ranks in each ranking system entering the final stretch of its season:

Week 16 AP Poll sees Alabama Crimson Tide rise all the way to No. 13 in the country

Alabama basketball jumps Auburn in Week 16 AP Poll

The Alabama Crimson Tide are coming off of back-to-back 100-point victories over LSU and Texas A&M and are playing as well as anyone in the country right now. The Tide stand alone atop the SEC leaderboard, and with just six games left in the regular season a conference title is within reach.

However, it will be no walk in the park as four of the Tide’s remaining six games come against ranked teams with trips to Florida and Kentucky on the horizon. Although, the biggest test will be when No. 5 Tennessee comes to town on March 3rd as they are the only team within one game of Alabama.

With Alabama playing their best ball of the season, the Week 16 AP Poll has the Crimson Tide ranked at No. 13 in the country. One spot ahead of Auburn who ranks No. 14 this week. Alabama will be back in action Wednesday evening against the Florida Gators.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Wisconsin drops out of latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Wisconsin basketball’s February slide continued on Saturday. An 88-86 overtime loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes dropped Wisconsin to 17-9 on the season and 9-6 in Big Ten play, now tied with Northwestern and Michigan State for third place in the conference standings.

The team’s 1-5 record since the start of February has it falling down the conference standings and KenPom ratings, and also beginning to drop out of the national polls.

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One such drop became official this morning, as the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll had the Badgers fall outside the top 25.

Wisconsin joined Oklahoma, Virginia and Indiana State as teams to fall out of the rankings.

Top-ranked UConn and Houston, meanwhile, continue to keep pace and lead the nation. Other notable shakeups include South Carolina dropping nine spots, San Diego State rising 12 slots and Tennessee rising five to become the fifth-ranked team in the poll.

Wisconsin is back on the court Tuesday night against the Maryland Terrapins. The Badgers need to restart a winning streak before the season crumbles away.

Which Big Ten football team has the toughest conference schedule in 2024?

Wisconsin has one of the conference’s toughest schedules in 2024

The Big Ten football season is going to look different in 2024.

New additions USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington bring more formidable opponents to the table. But more importantly, gone is the East-West Division model, replaced by a format of conference standings similar to that in basketball.

There are some blockbuster out-of-conference games to monitor before the conference slate begins this fall. Wisconsin hosts Alabama, USC faces LSU and Michigan meets Texas. Then begins the conference schedule, which is filled with big-time matchups every weekend.

So far this offseason we’ve already ranked all 18 programs in the Big Ten, ranked the 18 head coaches, predicted each Big Ten team’s 2024 record and checked in on the Las Vegas win totals for each team in the conference.

Now it’s time to take a look at each team’s 2024 conference schedule:

So, to rank each program’s 2024 Big Ten schedule as we preview the 2024 season we’ve taken each team’s ESPN SP+ rating and found numerical values for every game, and therefore every schedule.

The equation is simple. Every opponent’s SP+ rating is added together to find a Total Opponent Score. That large number is then divided by the nine conference games to find the Average Opponent Score — a number that can then be compared to the SP+ leaderboard to find the average quality of team each schedule contains.

Here is how each program’s 2024 Big Ten Conference schedule ranks, from easiest to most challenging: