Wisconsin Badgers

Only one Division I team returned more on the moneyline in 2025-26 than the Badgers, who made 24.1 units from 33 priced games. Five wins as underdogs did it, and one of them, at Michigan at +1600, was worth 16 on its own.

Five upsets

Wisconsin were underdogs 11 times and won 5: at Michigan 91-88 on 10 January at +1600, at Illinois 92-90 at +440, at home to Michigan State 92-71 at +114, at Purdue 97-93 at +370, and over Illinois again, 91-88 at +295 in the Big Ten tournament. One unit on them in every underdog game returned 22.19, again second only to New Orleans among Division I teams.

Take the Michigan game out and the season still finishes 8.1 units up.

On the road

Four of those five upsets came away from home or on a neutral floor. The 11 priced road games made 21.01 units, a figure only two teams beat; straight up the Badgers were 6-5 away and 15-2 at home, where the 17 priced games made just 1.42.

21 covers in 34

They covered 21 spreads and missed 13, 61.8%; 27 Division I teams covered more often. As favorites they covered 14 of 23 and made 1.91 units; the shortest-priced defeat was 73-71 at home to USC at -360.

January

January did most of it: 7-2 and 16.39 units. February added 3.87 and March 6.03, while November and December lost 2.2 between them.

Illinois and Michigan

Illinois lost both meetings and Wisconsin covered both, for 7.35 units. Michigan won the Big Ten semifinal 68-65, but Wisconsin covered there too, so in two games against the national champions they were 1-1 straight up and 2-0 against the spread.

The total

Twenty-one overs and 13 unders in 34 games; 28 teams went over more often.

The season ended in the NCAA tournament’s first round, 83-82 to High Point.

Questions and answers