Wisconsin basketball continued its early season emergence over the weekend, defeating UCF, 86-70, and Pittsburgh, 81-75, to capture the 2024 Greenbrier Tip-Off title.
The wins came in an entirely different fashion. Wisconsin dominated UCF from the opening tip and was never tested in the second half. The Pittsburgh game was a significant test. The Badgers trailed by as many as 14 in the first half, then needed a 54-point second frame and sheer dominance from wing John Tonje to exit with the victory.
Related: Biggest takeaways from Wisconsin basketball’s win over Pittsburgh
That resilience against a good Pittsburgh team is another notch in the belt for Greg Gard’s group. It continues to emerge as a surprise contender in both the Big Ten and nationally. The team is off to a 7-0 start for the third time in program history (2014-15 and 1973-74).
Ratings metrics have been somewhat hesitant to crown Gard’s team as a true contender, however. Wisconsin entered the Greenbrier Tip-Off ranked No. 40 KenPom and No. 30 in ESPN BPI.
Those marks both rose significantly after the pair of wins.
The Badgers are up 14 spots in KenPom to No. 26 overall, with the No. 12-rated offense and No. 72 defense. That mark is good for fourth-best in the Big Ten behind only Purdue (No. 15), Ohio State (No. 18) and UCLA (No. 22).
The team also rose to No. 27 in BPI. The metric has its projected final record at 21.8-9.2 and gives it an 14.2% chance to win the Big Ten.
Wisconsin faced an uphill battle in those metrics to begin the season. Each likely put significant weight into the departures of Tyler Wahl, A.J. Storr and Chucky Hepburn.
The on-court product has eliminated that narrative. Tonje looks to be an upgrade over Storr in the early going, averaging 23 points and 5.4 rebounds through the first seven games. The team as a whole looks to be improved over the 2023-24 group. Part of that can be attributed to the development of Nolan Winter, Kamari McGee, John Blackwell and others. It also should be credited to fantastic coaching from Gard and his staff. His new system is allowing the team to flourish, and it is playing its best basketball since the team made a run to the national title game in 2015.
Wisconsin is back on the court on Saturday against Chicago State. It begins Big Ten play with a home game against Michigan on Dec. 3.
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