Wisconsin did not do itself any favors when making its schedule for the 2023-24 basketball season. Not only is the Big Ten gauntlet enough to push an average team out of NCAA Tournament contention, but the Badgers are also saddled with several top-10 out-of-conference matchups.
There was already No. 9 Tennessee, which was a 80-70 loss. Now in the next few weeks, the team will host No. 3 Marquette and visit No. 2 Arizona. Any win during this stretch will feel like a positive step entering conference play.
While the AP Poll only has Marquette and Arizona ranked, KenPom’s rankings see the slate being even tougher. Here are the next three games, as ranked by KenPom:
- vs. No. 6 Marquette
- at No. 20 Michigan State
- at No. 4 Arizona
Meanwhile, the Badgers sit at No. 23 in the rankings, good for No. 3 in the Big Ten behind the Spartans and No. 2 Purdue Boilermakers.
A few wins in this brutal three-game stretch and that ranking should rise into the nation’s top 20.