MADISON - Each Monday, the Journal Sentinel will look at the Wisconsin men's basketball team's previous week and assess how its résumé has changed and stacks up to the competition.

All rankings are through Sunday unless noted otherwise.

Local bracketogolist Cracked Sidewalks: No. 3 seed vs. Akron in Milwaukee (Through Sunday).

Feb. 25 vs. Washington: Wisconsin responded to its loss to Oregon by correcting many of the issues that led to it. The Badgers stayed aggressive, cut down on turnovers and had better balance offensively in the 88-62 victory over the Huskies. Sophomore John Blackwell scored 19 of his 24 points during the first half and grabbed 10 rebounds for his first career double-double.

March 2 at Michigan State: The Badgers hung tough, but ultimately their shooting woes against the Spartans were costly. UW posted season lows for points, field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage in the 71-62 loss yet led at the half, and for most of the second half was between one and three possessions away from the lead. Sophomore Nolan Winter (12 points, 17 rebounds) posted his third double-double of the season and had the highest single-game rebounding total for a Badger in 22 years.

At Minnesota, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday: Wisconsin scored an 80-58 victory over Minnesota on Jan. 10, but the Gophers (15-14, 7-11) have been a more dangerous animal at Williams Arena, where they defeated Oregon and Michigan. Both those teams knocked off UW at home.

Vs. Penn State, noon Saturday: The Nittany Lions (15-14, 5-14) have no chance of getting a top 15 finish in the conference and a spot in the Big Ten tournament, but they're a little better than their spot in the standings. They rank 13 in the league in NET rankings and 14 in the conference, according to KenPom.com.