Wisconsin basketball is off to one of its best conference starts in decades. Despite dropping a road game at Penn State last week, the team still sits at 6-1 and holds a 0.5-game edge on Purdue for first place.
The Badgers have already been through quite the gauntlet, facing Arizona, Marquette, Virginia, Tennessee and Providence in their non-conference slate. The team, now ranked No. 13 in the nation, survived the tough slate — something it will need to do down the stretch of the Big Ten season.
Ben Stevens recently tweeted out what ESPN BPI has as the toughest remaining schedules in the conference. Wisconsin came in at No. 2, with close competitors Illinois at No. 5 and Purdue at No. 11
Big Ten men’s basketball remaining strength of schedule (via ESPN BPI).
Hardest to easiest:
1. Michigan
2. Wisconsin
3. Ohio St
4. Indiana
5. Illinois
6. Rutgers
7. Iowa
8. Minnesota
9. Maryland
10. Michigan St
11. Purdue
12. Penn St
13. Nebraska
14. Northwestern— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) January 22, 2024
The Badgers still have two games left against Purdue, one at home against Illinois and other sneaky-tough ones at Nebraska and at Rutgers.
Greg Gard’s team is playing great basketball at the moment. That play must be continued, and maybe elevated, if a Big Ten Championship is any possibility.