Fansided

College Basketball Power Rankings: Week 15

By Nathaniel Reeves

Feb 11, 2017; Moraga, CA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Silas Melson (0) drives the ball against St. Mary's Gaels guard Tanner Krebs (00) during the second half of the game at McKeon Pavilion. The Gonzaga Bulldogs defeated the St. Mary's Gaels with a score of 74-64. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 11, 2017; Moraga, CA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Silas Melson (0) drives the ball against St. Mary's Gaels guard Tanner Krebs (00) during the second half of the game at McKeon Pavilion. The Gonzaga Bulldogs defeated the St. Mary's Gaels with a score of 74-64. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
9 of 25
Next
Feb 12, 2017; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard directs his team during the game with the Northwestern Wildcats at the Kohl Center. Northwestern defeated Wisconsin 66-59. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 12, 2017; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard directs his team during the game with the Northwestern Wildcats at the Kohl Center. Northwestern defeated Wisconsin 66-59. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports /
17

Wisconsin Badgers

Last week: 20-3, 9-1 Big Ten
Last rank: 7

Wisconsin had built its top 10 resume on squeaking by some pretty bad teams, which certainly counts for something given all the upsets around the nation over the past month. The Badgers tumbled down the power rankings this week after their first loss to an unranked team, and are not playing well at all over the past five games.

Greg Gard’s team escaped on Thursday night with a a 70-69 win at Nebraska, its third overtime victory in a span of six games. Wisconsin’s luck ran out on Sunday, as Northwestern came to the Kohl Center and emerged with a 66-59 win despite missing star Scottie Lindsey.

That was the first loss to a team outside of the top 25 this season for Wisconsin, which has been shooting poorly and turning the ball over far too often in recent weeks. Ethan Happ had a rare down game and Wisconsin was unable to recover, particularly with Bronson Koenig scoring just two points on 1-for-8 shooting.

The good news for the Badgers is that Happ isn’t going to be that bad in most games, and is currently the favorite for Defensive Player of the Year. Wisconsin ranks seventh in the country in defensive efficiency and has the potential to be much better on the defensive end, but is probably fortunate to not have more than four losses at this point in the season.

Week 15 won’t be easy for the Badgers, as they will head to Ann Arbor to take on an improving Michigan squad before hosting Maryland on Sunday.