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Jay Bilas Ranks Wisconsin Badgers Outside of Top 35 Basketball Teams in the Country

The ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas still isn't convinced about how good the Wisconsin Badgers are this season.
Lorin Cox|
Basketball analyst Jay Bilas released his updated ream rankings, and the Wisconsin Badgers were outside of the Top 35
Basketball analyst Jay Bilas released his updated ream rankings, and the Wisconsin Badgers were outside of the Top 35 | Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Wisconsin Badgers looked like one of the hottest teams in college basketball after earning their second win over a Top 10 opponent.

ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas still isn't quite sold just yet.

He released his updated rankings of the Top 68 teams in the sport this season, and the Badgers didn't even crack the Top 35.

37. Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin proved its potential when it handed Michigan its first loss of the season in Ann Arbor on Jan. 10. Now back-to-back victories at Illinois (in overtime) and against Michigan State have been impactful reminders. The Badgers are top 20 nationally in offensive efficiency, and are led by a veteran backcourt duo of Nick Boyd and John Blackwell, who are averaging career highs in scoring with 20.6 PPG for Boyd and 19.0 PPG for Blackwell.
Jay Bilas, ESPN

Bilas' ranking came out even before Wisconsin's loss to Ohio State Tuesday night.

He didn't clarify exactly what has the Badgers lower in his rankings than the AP poll, but it could have a lot to do with the team's early-season struggles.

Wisconsin failed to pick up any quality wins in their non-conference schedule, and double-digit losses to teams like BYU and Nebraska left Greg Gard with a deep hole to dig him team out of.

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They have made major progress since then and look like a dangerous team capable of beating some of the top teams in the sport, but it hasn't been enough for Bilas to move them up among the more serious contenders.

How Wisconsin finishes the rest of its season and the subsequent Big Ten Tournament will go a long way toward cementing their March Madness resume and getting full respect ahead of the big dance.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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