Wisconsin began its season with a home loss to Western Illinois.
That gave the Badgers a two-game losing streak extending back to when they lost to Duke for the 2015 national championship. Those two opponents weren't exactly similar in talent or circumstance; that November night was the highlight of the Leathernecks' (I looked it up) season, as they went on to finish a dismal 10-17, thanks in large part to a midseason 11-game losing streak.
Regardless, WIU topped the Badgers, who two months later on January 9 were sitting on a 9-9 record; 1-4 in Big Ten play.