The Wisconsin Badgers are no longer ranked after their 98-70 loss to the No. 9 BYU Cougars on Friday, falling from their No. 23 spot.
Wisconsin had started off the season 4-1, including a 94-69 win over
SIUE last Monday. But, their loss to BYU showed significant holes in the team that they’ll need to work on over the next few weeks of the season.
The Badgers shot the ball poorly, going just 7/29 from three-point range in the loss. They also struggled at the free-throw line, shooting 17/26, while turning the ball over 12 times.
Defensively, they just couldn’t manufacture stops. BYU shot 48 percent from the field and made 14 threes, while getting to the free-throw line 29 times. Richie Saunders, who had 25 points against Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament last year, went for 26 points and five threes.
A.J. Dybantsa, a projected top-three pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, lived at the free throw line, taking 12 free throws and scoring 18 total points. Point guard Rob Wright III flirted with a triple-double, dropping 10 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds in the win.
Wisconsin’s bench was also outplayed by BYU’s, as their freshmen struggled in the loss.
The Badgers are a three-point shooting team. When they’re on, they’re competitive. When that’s not the case, they need a ton of other factors to go their way, which didn’t happen on Friday. Wisconsin, known for its runs this season, was on the wrong end of several big runs that swung the game in BYU’s favor.
The Badgers do have a good opportunity to shake off the loss when they head to San Diego to face the Providence Friars in the Rady Children’s Invitational on Thursday. Providence has gone 4-2 with losses to Virginia Tech and Colorado and a win over Penn State.
If they win, they’ll face the winner of the Florida Gators versus the TCU Horned Frogs in the championship game.
Wisconsin has two big opportunities to climb back into the rankings this weekend. But, they’ll need to show some improvements to do so.
