Rutgers upsets Wisconsin, shakes up Big Ten standings

The Big Ten continues to be full of upsets. Rutgers went into Wisconsin and picked up its first-ever win in Madison on Saturday.

The Scarlet Knights defeated the No. 14-ranked Badgers 73-65 at the Kohl Center for their third straight win — all of which have come over ranked opponents. In that span, Rutgers beat Michigan State and Ohio State at home before getting the road win at Wisconsin. It’s also their sixth Quadrant 1 victory this season, which could get them closer to the NCAA tournament picture.

It was a rough go for Wisconsin. The Badgers went just 4 for 19 from outside despite shooting 47.3% from the field as a group. Tyler Wahl dropped a game-high 23 points, but he didn’t have much help. Steven Crowl had 12 points and Johnny Davis had 11. All told, those three combined for 46 of Wisconsin’s 65 points and were the only Badgers to reach double figures.

The loss drops them out of first place in the Big Ten standings. Heading into Thursday, three teams — Illinois, Purdue and Wisconsin — were tied for first place. Now, the Fighting Illini sit alone atop the league with a matchup against in-state rival Northwestern looming on Sunday.

Ron Harper Jr. had a huge day for Rutgers, scoring 21 points and grabbing six rebounds. Paul Mulcahy was also efficient from the field, scoring 18 points on 6 of 9 shooting. As a group, the Scarlet Knights shot 51% from the floor, including 7 for 12 from three-point territory.

The Scarlet Knights improve to 15-9 after the victory to move into fifth place in the league just behind Michigan State. If the Spartans lose to Indiana on Saturday, Rutgers would move into a fourth-place tie with six games remaining before the conference tournament.

Next up for Wisconsin is a Tuesday showdown with Indiana at Assembly Hall in Bloomington. Meanwhile, Rutgers gets ready to take on Illinois at home on Wednesday.