Wisconsin Badgers still have a path to a Big Ten regular season championship

MADISON, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin looked like a lost team just over a month ago.

The Badgers had completed a nonconference schedule with more ugly losses than quality wins and started conference play with an embarrassing 30-point loss at Nebraska and an uncompetitive 16-point home loss to Purdue.

Three top-10 wins later, the Badgers have fortified their NCAA Tournament resume and put themselves in position to for a top four finish and a double bye in next month's conference tournament in Chicago.

Believe it or not, after winning nine of their last 11, the Badgers also have a path to winning a piece of the Big Ten regular season championship.

The Badgers are the ONLY team in the NCAA with 3️⃣ wins over AP Top-10 teams 🔥 pic.twitter.com/iD3qi0wd3P
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 14, 2026

Sitting in a tie for fifth in the league with a 10-4 conference mark, there's no question the Badgers still plenty of help to win their first conference title since 2022.

UW has to play four of its last six on the road with three Quad-1 games, starting Tuesday at Ohio State, and need a Michigan team that has lost once all season to lose three of its final five games.

It's a long shot but no team ahead of Wisconsin has an easy finishing stretch. Here's a look at what's ahead for the top six teams in the Big Ten.

All percentages according to ESPN analytics

1, Michigan (14-1 Big Ten)

Toughest remaining: Feb.17 at Purdue (52.2%), Feb.27 at Illinois (52.6%)

Other remaining games: Feb.24 vs. Minnesota (96.6%), March 6 at Iowa (76.5%), vs. Michigan State (83.8%)

The Wolverines haven't lost since losing to Wisconsin on Jan.10, a 10-game winning streak that includes a home win over Nebraska and a 12-point road win at Michigan State. Michigan has a two-game cushion over the league - thanks in part to Wisconsin beating the Illini and Spartans this week - but the Wolverines have the hardest closing stretch of the league's contending teams, and that doesn't include a nonconference game against No.4 Duke on Feb.21 in Washington D.C.

2, Illinois (11-3 Big Ten)

Toughest remaining: Feb.27 vs. Michigan (47.4%)

Other remaining games: Feb.15 vs. Indiana (80.3%), Feb.18 at USC (75.5%), Feb.21 at UCLA (62.8%), March 3 vs. Oregon (94.7%), March 8 at Maryland (87.8%)

Illinois' three losses have come by a combined eight points, one on a deep three pointer by Nebraska with less than a second left and two in overtime. The Illini might be the league's second-best team, but they need to get healthy, which likely cost them against Wisconsin being down two starters. The good news is Illinois is close to getting point guard Kylan Boswell back from a wrist injury for the stretch run.

Illinois' schedule isn't demanding down the stretch, but teams have struggled on the LA swing, and the Illini will be facing a desperate UCLA team.

3, Purdue (11-3 Big Ten)

Toughest remaining: Feb.17 vs. Michigan (47.8%)

Other remaining games: Feb.20 vs. Indiana (80.5%), Feb.26 vs. Michigan State (73.5%), March 1 at Ohio State (66.8%), March 4 at Northwestern (82.0%), March 7 vs. Wisconsin (82.4%)

After a three-game losing streak, including losses at UCLA and Indiana, Purdue has regrouped with four straight wins that included consecutive road wins at Nebraska and Iowa. After playing six of eight on the road, Purdue plays four of its final six at Mackey Arena.

4, Nebraska (11-3 Big Ten)

Toughest remaining: Feb.17 at Iowa (50.3%), March 3 at UCLA (49.8%)

Other remaining games: Feb.21 vs. Penn State (94.9%), Feb.25 vs. Maryland (92.5%), Feb.28 at USC (64.4%), March 8 vs. Iowa (74.7%)

The Huskers have come back to pack after losing three of five, all coming against teams in the top-half of the league. The good news for Nebraska is they don't have any more games against the top half of the league. The bad news is the Huskers' next game is against an Iowa team eager to rebound from getting embarrassed at home against Purdue on Saturday and a two-game road trip out to Los Angeles.

5, Wisconsin (10-4 Big Ten)

Toughest remaining: Feb.17 at Ohio State (42.2%), Feb.28 at Washington (53.4%), March 7 at Purdue (17.6%)

Other remaining games: Feb.22 vs. Iowa (64.9%), Feb.25 at Oregon (69.5%), March 4 vs. Maryland (88.6%)

Wisconsin has won two conference games this season as double-digit underdogs, including as an 18.5-point underdog to Michigan. That alone says that there is no game remaining on UW's schedule that it can't win.

6, Michigan State (10-4 Big Ten)

Toughest remaining: Feb.26 at Purdue (26.5%), March 1 at Indiana (46.6%), March 8 at Michigan (16.2%)

Other remaining games: Feb.17 vs. UCLA (75.3%), Feb.22 vs. Ohio State (78.2%), March 5 vs. Rutgers (96.1%)

Head coach Tom Izzo said the Spartans are not a great team, adding "we're only as good as we are when we're playing together and things are going our way." That's not a great endorsement for a veteran team that has three tough road games remaining and is starting to leak oil with three losses in the last four games.

More Wisconsin Badgers News:

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