Big 10: Wisconsin Is The Most Overlooked Team In The Country

There’s a top five team in the country that people aren’t paying enough attention to.

Ironically enough, it’s not the small Jesuit school in Spokane, Washington. It’s also not a school west of the Mississippi that seems to play every late game.

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It’s actually a school that played in the Final Four last season. It’s actually a team that has the favorite to win National Player of the Year. That’s right, the Wisconsin Badgers are the most overlooked team in the country.

The reason for that is pretty obvious: a loss that happened on Dec. 3. A loss that was televised on ESPN as the primetime nonconference game this season. A loss at home to Duke by 10 in a game where the Blue Devils arguably were the best team in the country.

Don’t think about the fact Wisconsin played that game short-handed because Sam Dekker was still nursing a bum ankle. Oh, don’t forget Duke shot 65 percent from the field, including 58 percent from behind the three-point line.

It makes sense that Wisconsin is overlooked this season. The Badgers play a boring brand of basketball. According to KenPom rankings, they have the 337^th fastest tempo this season, otherwise known as the 15^th slowest team in college basketball from an offensive standpoint. However, that tempo leads to good shots and Wisconsin grades out as the best offensive team in the country.

Sure, Frank Kaminsky was a nice story during the NCAA Tournament last season when the junior exploded onto the national scene. But, he suffered a concussion this season and fell out of the limelight. Why worry about a senior at Wisconsin when there’s a shiny new toy like Jahlil Okafor at Duke or D’Angelo Russell at Ohio State? What’s that? He’s averaging 17.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game while shooting over 54 percent from the field and 41 percent from deep?

It’s time to start taking notice. It’s time to remember how close Wisconsin was last season to playing in the National Championship. It’s time to discuss them in length when talking about the shortlist of national title contenders. It’s time to remember the Badgers have yet to have their entire rotation healthy this season yet sit at 20-2. Dekker’s injury was mentioned already as was Kaminksy’s concussion, but remember starting point guard Traevon Jackson is currently nursing a fractured foot.

Wisconsin will likely end up as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but could easily play its way to a No. 1 seed. The group of teams currently vying for those No. 1 seeds, Kentucky fans included, will want to breathe a sigh of relief to see the Badgers on the top line in March.

This isn’t a typical Wisconsin team. The Badgers are no longer a team that scores in the 60s and gets knocked out by a weaker opponent in the NCAA Tournament. No, this is a team that can spread you out and attack you with five different players. Everyone on the court can shoot and attack the rim and that’s why they have the No. 1 ranked offense in the country.

But, go ahead and keep overlooking them. Something tells me that’s just fine with those up there in Madison.

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