After rattling off seven straight wins to start to 2024-25 season, Wisconsin rose to No. 17 on the latest USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll.
UW’s signature win over Arizona on Nov. 15 prompted coaches to elevate the Badgers to the No. 25 spot on last week’s hierarchy. After three more wins against UT Rio Grande Valley, UCF and Pittsburgh, respectively, Wisconsin is now being considered one of the better teams in the nation.
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. 17 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 team in the coaches poll after a strong opening week. The Jayhawks are followed by No. 2 UConn, No. 3 Auburn, No. 4 Gonzaga and No. 5 Iowa State. A total of three Big Ten squads cracked Nov. 25’s installation of the top-25 list.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas | 5-0 | 767 (25) |
| 2 | UConn | 4-0 | 717 (2) |
| 3 | Auburn | 4-0 | 707 (3) |
| 4 | Gonzaga | 5-0 | 689 (1) |
| 5 | Iowa State | 3-0 | 602 |
| 6 | Tennessee | 6-0 | 587 |
| 7 | Houston | 3-1 | 559 |
| 8 | Kentucky | 5-0 | 539 |
| 9 | Alabama | 4-1 | 527 |
| 10 | Duke | 4-1 | 502 |
| 11 | Marquette | 6-0 | 499 |
| 12 | Purdue | 5-1 | 429 |
| 13 | North Carolina | 3-1 | 424 |
| 14 | Cincinnati | 5-0 | 330 |
| 15 | Indiana | 4-0 | 262 |
| 16 | Florida | 6-0 | 260 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | 7-0 | 252 |
| 18 | Baylor | 4-2 | 244 |
| 19 | Creighton | 4-1 | 167 |
| 20 | Texas A&M | 4-1 | 146 |
| 21 | Arkansas | 4-1 | 128 |
| 22 | Xavier | 5-0 | 85 |
| 23 | Arizona | 2-2 | 76 |
| 24 | Ole Miss | 5-0 | 73 |
| 25 | Pittsburgh | 6-1 | 66 |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 20 Illinois; No. 20 St. John’s; No. 24 Texas Tech;
Others Receiving Votes
BYU 60; Texas 43; Mississippi State 43; Illinois 42; St. John’s 40; Texas Tech 39; Ohio State 38; Saint Mary’s 33; Drake 23; Memphis 21; Nebraska 20; Oregon 8; Rutgers 7; Dayton 5; Michigan State 4; UCLA 3; Georgia 3; Nevada 2; Utah State 1; Penn State 1; Maryland 1; LSU 1;
Wisconsin is back on the court on Nov. 30 against Chicago State. The team will then gear up for its first Big Ten game of the 2024-25 season against Michigan on Dec. 3 at the Kohl Center.