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Badgers move into AP Top 25

MADISON — Welcome back to the Top 25, Wisconsin. Just don’t expect coach Bo Ryan to get excited about it.

The Badgers (6-1) broke into the rankings at No. 20 in The Associated Press poll released Monday following victories over then-No. 21 Maryland, then-No. 6 Duke and Grambling State.

Rankings mean more to fans than to coaches or players, Ryan said.

“It’s great for the fan base, great for the alumni that’s out there in California and Florida,” he said. “There’s even some in Belgrade when I was there.”

The Badgers have put together a nice early run, highlighted by last week’s win over Duke. Wisconsin got a career-high 26 points from guard Trevon Hughes to beat the Blue Devils and turned the ball over only five times.

Hughes was named the Big Ten’s Player of the Week after averaging 23 points per game. He had 20 points, a career-high seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal against Grambling.

For Ryan, polls simply are no big deal. He said his players “always know the next team wants to beat us, and we want to beat the next team, so let’s just move on.”

Up next for Wisconsin is a pair of in-state games, at UW-Green Bay (8-2) on Wednesday and at home against Marquette (6-2) on Saturday.

Ryan is one win away from having 200 in his nine seasons as UW’s coach. He was asked how he has changed since coming to the school in 2001.

“I don’t think I have. Nobody’s ever said to me, ‘Oh, you’ve changed,”’ Ryan said. “I may go to sleep a little earlier.”