Wisconsin matches highest AP ranking since 2020
Wisconsin has matched its highest ranking in the Associated Press poll since 2020.
The Badgers jumped seven spots after a 2-0 week to No. 6 in the poll released Monday. It matched their ranking in the Dec. 28, 2020 poll and is the highest since being No. 4 in the Nov. 30 poll that same year. It’s also their best ranking this late in the season since they finished at No. 3 heading into the 2015 NCAA Tournament when they made it all the way to the national title game.
Wisconsin is one of three Big Ten teams in the rankings, with Purdue sitting at No. 2 and Illinois dropping four spots to No. 14. The Badgers have two stiff tests this week to stay in the top-10 with a trip to Nebraska, where the Cornhuskers are 13-1, and a visit from the Boilermakers on Sunday, which could go a long way towards determining the winner of the conference.
Defending champion UConn remained at No. 1, getting 48 first-place votes, while 14 voters had Purdue as their No. 1 team. The rest of the top-5 is made up of North Carolina, Houston and Tennessee.
