The Wisconsin Badgers pulled off their third top-10 upset of the season when they blew out the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday, winning 92-71 in a beatdown at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin started fast in the win and never looked back, leading for essentially the entire game, as they shot the ball extremely well, played good defense, and negated Michigan State’s strengths.
The win capped off an impressive week for the Badgers, who went to Champaign and upset the No. 8 Illinois Fighting Illini on Tuesday
in a 92-90 overtime thriller. With the two wins, Wisconsin is proving that when it’s at its best, it can beat any team in the country.
Wisconsin has now beaten No. 2 Michigan, No. 8 Illinois, and No. 10 Michigan State this season. Those three top-10 wins are the most of any team in the country. So, while the Badgers only have three Quad 1 wins, those three might be the best top wins of any team this season.
It’s the first time since the 2009-2010 season that Wisconsin has gotten three top-10 wins in the regular season, as they beat No. 6 Duke, No. 5 Purdue, and No. 4 Michigan State that year. And now, the Badgers have at least a trio of top-10 wins in back-to-back years after beating No. 9 Arizona, No. 7 Purdue, and No. 7 Michigan State last year.
With six top-10 wins in the last two years, Wisconsin has the second-most AP Top 10 wins in the country during that stretch, trailing only Florida (nine).
Friday’s win probably cements Wisconsin’s status as an NCAA Tournament team. They should reach 20 wins (two away) and will have at least 12 conference wins if that’s the case. Add that to the three strong wins, and the Badgers are building a pretty nice resume lately.
