MADISON, Wis. – Chris Collins entered the Kohl Center media room and spoke with a sense of bewilderment.

Northwestern’s head coach felt his squad played well enough to win, disrupting Wisconsin’s offensive possessions, forcing 13 turnovers, and executing exactly what it wanted in critical late-game defensive possessions.

Yet, Collins sat following a 71-63 loss Saturday afternoon pointing out that Wisconsin passed out of Northwestern’s double teams, slashed pass defenders when gaps opened, and iced the game with tough fadeaway jumpers.

“They are one of the best teams in the country for a reason,” Collins said. “You knew that coming in.”

Most offensive averages descend once conference play again, a fact of playing against familiar opponents multiple times a season. In seven full seasons under Greg Gard, Wisconsin’s scoring dips an average of 6.8 points per game from nonconference to Big Ten opponents.

Through the first quarter of Big Ten play, Wisconsin has actually increased its scoring average from 74.5 points per game to 76.6, opening conference play with five straight games scoring in the 70s for the first time in 10 years.

UW is ranked sixth nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency (119.7 points per 100 possessions) and has averaged 1.07 points per Big Ten possession to start 5-0 in the conference for the first time in 16 years.

One visible result is Badgers (13-3) head to State College to face Penn State (8-9, 2-4) Tuesday having moved up four spots to No.11 in this week’s Associated Press Top 25, as well as ninth in KenPom and 11th in the NCAA NET rankings.

The other is a team with synergy and confidence about itself that is exponentially stronger than last season’s 20-win team.

“(It’s) sticking to what we do,” guard Max Klesmit said. “Having a ton of everyday guys in the locker room, coming to the gym ready to work every day and push each other. This team has grown in that aspect since last year, and I think we’ve had a lot of growth in general. Guys have improved their game, guys have worked on stuff off the court in terms of the mentality in the weight room. It’s a byproduct of what all offseason was.”

Entering this week, the Badgers possess multiple standout offensive streaks. Wisconsin has shot at least 47 percent from the field in all five Big Ten games, a number that reached out four times in the conference last season.

Wisconsin distributed 13 assists on 22 made baskets, giving them at least 10 assists in every conference game.

The Badgers have faced the conference’s fourth, fifth, seventh, ninth, and 13th-ranked scoring defense and the second, fourth, ninth, 10th, and 11th field goal defense. UW has outscored and outshot that team’s average in each game.

“That unselfishness and willingness to share the ball is key,” Gard said. “Much like the mindset we’ve talked about, that’s what makes us good because we are unselfish, and we have a lot of guys who can score. You have to give yourself to the team, and our group has done that.”

With 15 conference games remaining and Wisconsin having already having a 1.5-game lead over Illinois and Purdue, the question centers around sustainability. The Badgers have played seven games against

KenPom’s top-25 adjusted defenses with mixed results. In their three losses, the Badgers finished at 1.03 points per possession against Tennessee (No.3 in KenPom) and .91 ppp at Providence (No.12) in the first eight days of the season and 1.0.1 ppp at No.1 Arizona (No.4).

In their wins in such games, UW was at 1.18 ppp in a 24-point win over Virginia (No.19), 1.15 ppp in its comeback win over SMU (No.13), 1.14 ppp against Marquette (10), and 1.27 ppp at Michigan State.

In the regular season, Wisconsin has six games left against such teams (No.8 Rutgers x2, No.16 Maryland, No.22 Purdue x2, and No.24 Michigan State).

Assistant Joe Krabbenhoft said Wisconsin can sustain its current level of productivity because of the depth and skill level of a rotation able to put the ball in the basket.

The last week has illustrated that point. In UW’s 71-60 win at Ohio State, A.J. Storr scored 15 points in the first half, and two in the second half, while Klesmit scored 18 in the second half. Against Northwestern, Klesmit scored 24 and Storr scored six in the final 2:34, with both hitting fadeaway jumpers that made Collins shrug his shoulders.

That doesn’t account for Tyler Wahl scoring in double figures in 11 of 16 games, Steven Crowl reaching at least 10 points in 10 games, guard Chucky Hepburn accounting for 63 assists, 31 steals, and 19 turnovers, and UW’s bench averaging 11.2 points and 1.4 turnovers per game.

The Badgers have been led in scoring by the same player in consecutive games three times this season, a sign that UW has multiple players willing who can get hot at any given time.

“They’ve bought in and committed to each other,” Gard said. “It’s a mark of really good team when you have different guys on different nights show up and lead us from a scoring standpoint. They understand what it takes to get to where they want to go to. They have to have that together mindset in order for that to happen.”

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