Progrums

Wisconsin’s Slide: From Poll Darling to Receiving Votes

After opening the season 4–0, the Wisconsin Badgers hit a major stumbling block with a 98–70 loss at No. 9 BYU, their largest margin of defeat in coach Greg Gard’s 11 seasons. The defeat dropped them out of the Associated Press Top 25 entirely; Wisconsin received just 45 votes, down 135 from last week. The Badgers shot a dismal 37.7 percent from the field and 24.1 percent from three, turning the rematch of last year’s NCAA Tournament shocker into yet another lopsided affair. Wisconsin now heads to San Diego for the Rady Children’s Invitational, where they’ll face Providence before meeting either TCU or No. 10 Florida, hoping to patch holes in both their lineup and confidence.

Don’t you just love the whiplash? One minute Wisconsin’s basking in glow of a 4–0 start, the next they’re auditioning for “AP Poll’s Biggest Meltdown.” If basketball were a soap opera, the Badgers’ season would already have more twists than a pretzel factory. Coach Gard insists it’s a learning moment—because nothing says “championship blueprint” like getting blown out by 28 points. Surely, this is the crucial character-building chapter where they discover the secret sauce: halfway decent shooting, basic defense, and maybe a pep talk that actually sticks. But hey, it builds “mental toughness,” right? Strap in, folks. The Badgers are off to San Diego, where they’ll either rediscover their mojo or treat us to the sequel no one asked for: “The Revenge of the Rebounding Woes.”