Wisconsin Ranked in the Top 20 in Season's Final Coaches Poll
MADISON, Wis. – Co-winners of the regular-season Big Ten title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament second round was enough for the University of Wisconsin to finish the season in the top 20.
The Badgers (25-8) were ranked No.18 in the final Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll released Tuesday, making them the second-highest Big Ten team in the poll behind No.10 Purdue (The Associated Press does not release a post-championship poll).
After beating North Carolina, 72-69, in New Orleans Monday night, Kansas was the unanimous No.1 team with 32 first-place votes. The Jayhawks registered the largest comeback in championship game history by digging out of a 16-point deficit in the first half. The Tar Heels were No.2 followed by Final Four semifinals Duke (No.3) and Villanova (No.4).
Other Big Ten teams included No.19 Illinois, No.21 Iowa, and No.25 Michigan. UW finished 6-3 against teams ranked in the final poll – beating No.7 Houston and No.20 St. Mary’s in the Maui Invitational, sweeping Purdue, beating Iowa and Michigan at home, losing to No.13 Providence, at Illinois and to No.23 Iowa State in the NCAA Tournament.
In terms of way-too-early Top-25 polls from ESPN and USA Today, Wisconsin's name is absent. Michigan is the popular pick with center Hunter Dickinson being projected to return but most reports cite a down year for the Big Ten.
Of course, preseason polls don’t mean much of anything. Of the big storylines this season was Wisconsin – picked 10th in the conference's unofficial preseason media poll – winning a share of the Big Ten title. Where the Badgers will be selected this fall by the writers once the dust from the transfer portal and the NBA Draft settles will be intriguing.
While UW will have to replace its two leading scorers in consensus All-American Johnny Davis and super-senior Brad Davison, the Badgers return three starters in senior forward Tyler Wahl, junior center Steven Crowl, and sophomore point guard Chucky Hepburn who combined for 39.8 percent of UW’s scoring last season.
Wisconsin won’t be the only team in transition though. Co-Big Ten champion Illinois could lose its top three scorers if center Kofi Cockburn decides to go pro. Iowa saw All-American Keegan Murray declare for the draft and guard Jordan Bohannon graduate. Ohio State had two underclassmen declare in Big Ten Freshman of the Year Malaki Branham and first-team all-conference forward E.J. Liddell, as well as Purdue with second-team All-American Jaden Ivey and forward Travion Williams.
Michigan (guard Davante Jones), Michigan State (center Marcus Bingham, forward Gabe Brown, forward Max Christie), Nebraska (guard Bryce McGowens), and Rutgers (forward Rob Harper Jr., guard Caleb McConnell, and guard Jaden Jones) have also seen players declare early for the draft.
That list doesn’t include transfers, as 12 of the 14 Big Ten teams have seen at least one player enter the portal, meaning there will be plenty of movement between now and the season opener in November.
In addition to its 20-game conference schedule, Wisconsin is scheduled to host a Big Ten-ACC Challenge game, travel to Marquette, and play in the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas November 23-25. The field includes Butler, BYU, Dayton, NC State, and 2022 NCAA Tournament teams Kansas, Tennessee, and USC. According to Caesars Sportsbook, the Jayhawks are the betting favorites to win the 2023 national championship at 10-1.
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