NCAA Weekender: Anatomy of Wisconsin's fall

Recapping the biggest stories of the NCAA weekend.

On Jan. 14, Wisconsin was sitting third in the NPI ratings with a 15-3-2 record, and looked for all the world like a true national title contender.

Three weeks later, they've dropped all the way to No. 14 thanks to a six-game losing streak that's left many in their room scratching their heads and talking about how quickly they have to fix everything if they want to stay in NCAA contention. Fans, as well-reasoned in response to a losing streak as ever, have a dimmer view of the team's immediate and, perhaps, long-term future.

That's because, perhaps most problematic for the team and its fanbase, they just got absolutely obliterated by their archrivals, Minnesota, by a combined score of 12-5 in two losses.

Early in the season, and as recently as