Wisconsin basketball: Confidence among Badgers hoop fans sees small uptick

It’s safe to say that Wisconsin basketball has had better weeks than what they’ve churned out the last couple. We all know the original happenings with Brad Davison’s one game suspension, and then later with Kobe King, but the new developments do not help put this story behind them. Off the court, it’s a bit of a dumpster fire and the same can be said for on the court as the Badgers dropped their latest contest on the road to Minnesota.

It seemed as though the Badgers had maybe turned a corner after their win over Michigan State, but that doesn’t seem to be the case after their blowout loss in the Barn. Due to that, confidence among Badger fans has seen a slight uptick, but nothing major. Last week polled confidence sat at 64% and likely rose after the upset win over Michigan State. However, following up that big win with a bad road loss likely lessened confidence as this week it sits at just 67%.

It’s apparent that Wisconsin fans are eager to believe in this team, but I don’t think anyone has seen enough to truly buy in and have a lot of confidence just yet. When the momentum takes two steps forward, things always seem to take a step back which is the most frustrating part of this entire 2019-20 season.

If there were ever a time to go on a run and create some confidence in the fan base it would be during this final stretch of the season. The Badgers have eight games remaining in the season, and all eight of them are very winnable as they are all against teams below them in the Big Ten standings, outside of Rutgers. Five of those games are at home which always helps, especially in this conference.

In addition to the confidence polls SB Nation also asked the community of respondents to tell us which team they thought was the most pleasant surprise in college basketball. It was a neck and neck race among four teams across the country but undefeated San Diego State took the crown.

Close behind them is the top ranked Baylor Bears who are currently riding a 19-game win streak and lead the Big 12 conference. Just behind them is Rutgers, which is wrong. After that comes the Dayton Flyers who appear to be a dark horse Final Four team led by future lottery pick Obi Toppin. Each of these teams have played great basketball over the course of the season, but next month we’ll get the chance to see which team is real as the Big Dance gets closer and closer.