Two top-10 wins put the Wisconsin Badgers back in the AP Top 25

MADISON, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin didn't receive a single vote in the Associated Press Top 25 poll last week. That's no longer the case after two significant victories.

Following an overtime road win at No.8 Illinois and a 21-point home win over No.10 Michigan State, Wisconsin returned to the weekly rankings at No.24 on Monday.

Wisconsin is back in the AP Top 25 for the first time since late November (winning a pair of top-10 games in four days will do that for a team).#Badgers check in at No.24. UW heads to Columbus to face a desperate Ohio State team tomorrow.
— Benjamin Worgull (@TheBadgerNation) February 16, 2026

This is the fourth week Wisconsin (18-7, 10-4 Big Ten) has been ranked in the AP Top 25 this season and first since November 17. UW hasn't been ranked higher than No.23 all season.

The past week has put Wisconsin in conversations beyond whether or not the Badgers can finish in the top four and get a double bye for next month's conference tournament, as national writers are starting to earmark UW as a darkhorse team in next month's NCAA Tournament.

Facing an Illinois team that ranked first nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, Wisconsin hit a season-high 16 three-point field goals, the team's most ever in a road game, and turned the ball over just four times in a 92-90 overtime victory at State Farm Center.

UW erased a 12-point deficit in the second half, the sixth time this season the Badgers erased a double-digit deficit in 2026. A big comeback wasn't needed on Friday.

Once again proficient from three (15 makes) and limiting turnovers (six), UW's 92-71 victory over No.10 Michigan State was the Badgers' largest margin of victory over a top-10 opponent in school history.

The victory moved the Badgers into a tie for fifth place in the Big Ten with Michigan State, sitting one game behind Purdue and Nebraska in the standings. The top four teams get a double bye in next month's conference tournament in Chicago.

The Badgers were listed as high as No.12 on the ballot of Scott Richley of The News-Gazette in Champaign and appeared in the top 20 on three others. UW still is unranked by 25 voters.

Wisconsin is 3-3 against ranked teams, representing UW's three Quad-1 wins. The Badgers sit No.33 in the NET rankings with an 8-7 record against the top two quadrants. UW also sits No.23 in Bart Torvik and No.32 in KenPom.

The Badgers' other top-10 victory came January 10th at Michigan. The game represents the only loss of the year for the Wolverines, which moved to No.1 in this week's poll.

UW returns to conference action tomorrow when it plays Ohio State (16-9, 8-6) in a Quad-1 game in Columbus. The Badgers beat the Buckeyes, 92-82, in Madison on January 31.

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