Sleep on Wisconsin basketball in the offseason. Act surprised when its new pieces fit seamlessly into one of the most entertaining systems in the country. Praise head coach Greg Gard for yet another marvelous coaching job.
Rinse, wash, repeat.
Underestimating Wisconsin basketball in the preseason is a time-honored tradition at this point. The Badgers have consistently out-performed expectations the past few seasons, seeming to produce a surprise breakout star year in and year out while evolving into one of the best watches in the country with a fast-paced, three-point-heavy offensive attack powered by dynamic backcourt players and big men that can shoot the cover off the ball.
Add another ranking/metric to the list of them taking Wisconsin somewhat lightly this season. KenPom, the ubiquitous analytics site that keeps and updates a comprehensive ranking of all 365 D-I teams, has the Badgers as the No. 40 team in the country, checking in at No. 9 – the exact middle – of the Big Ten.
Where Big Ten teams ended up on Kenpom's preseason national rankings
Including their O/D rating rank pic.twitter.com/DXlYs3QzaS
– T IGT (@itsAntWright) October 11, 2026
Wisconsin's offensive rating, meanwhile, is No. 43 nationally while its defense slides in at No. 37. The Badgers are currently projected by the website to post a 10-10 record in conference play.
Of course, this all means very little before the Badgers play a game that counts. KenPom operates by receiving a ton of data, incorporating it into its formula and producing rankings that change daily based on results across the college basketball landscape. It's difficult to calculate a team's adjusted offensive efficiency before they actually, you know, take the court.
Still, KenPom's initial Big Ten rankings are consistent with other preseason projections we've seen in regards to Wisconsin basketball. The Badgers are expected to be competitive, but also middle of the pack in the grand scheme of the Big Ten and generally outside the AP Top 25.
Chaos in the Big Ten in 2026-27?
It's an interesting year for the Big Ten, which finally snapped its national title drought as Michigan cut down the nets last season in Indianapolis. However, the Wolverines lost their head coach and several key players, and while there's two teams widely regarded to be at the top of the conference in Illinois and Michigan State, the Big Ten could be anyone's for the taking.
There's also a lot of projection in the conference at the moment. For instance, USC, which lost in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament last season to cap off an eight-game losing streak to close out the campaign, is widely considered a top-25 team and ranked above the Badgers on KenPom. On paper, the Trojans are incredibly talented, but head coach Eric Musselman, as revered as he is, has yet to show proof of concept in Los Angeles.
Ultimately, it should be another wildly entertaining year of hoops in the Big Ten. From stacked legitimate national title contenders like the Illini and the Spartans to upstart teams from last year trying to prove they're here to stay like Nebraska and Iowa, and everything in between, the conference is loaded with talent and storylines.
In my estimation, Wisconsin looks a little better than No. 9 in the conference. But these arguments aren't settled on KemPom; they settled on the court.
The Badgers tip off on Nov. 2 against Denver.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/wisconsin as KenPom Underestimates Wisconsin Basketball in Preseason Rankings .