The Badgers made quite a few changes this offseason?
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The Wisconsin Badgers are locked and loaded for the 2025-26 season, making waves in the transfer portal as they transition from a senior-laden team this past season.
To complement returning juniors John Blackwell and Nolan Winter, the Badgers added San Diego State guard Nick Boyd, Virginia wing Andrew Rohde, and Portland forward Austin Rapp to the fold, creating a new starting five for the upcoming year.
Wisconsin also got some depth, bringing back Jack Janicki, while adding Tulsa guard Braeden Carrington and Lithuanian forward Aleksas Bieliauskas to the fold. Freshmen Zach Kinziger, Hayden Jones, and Will Garlock could also make an impact.
The Badgers were frequently in the AP Top 25 last season, earning a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament last year as one of the best teams in the Big Ten. Now, heading into a new year, Wisconsin will look to keep the same success going with its new group.
So, entering the year, where should Wisconsin be ranked ahead of the 2025-26 season?
Various rankings have seen the Badgers anywhere in the 10-25 range, so there are quite a variety of possibilities.
Ultimately, the ceiling of this group will be determined by a few things: 1) how much of a leap John Blackwell takes to be an All-Big Ten Player of the Year candidate, 2) how well Nolan Winter bodes against Big Ten centers, and 3) how much the bench can actually provide with its question marks.
But, in today’s day and age, there’s going to be a lot of adjusting for every team early in the season, so Wisconsin has the necessary time to figure out its holes and address them.
As the season comes along, we’ll get a better idea of where Wisconsin should stand, but they seem like a top-third Big Ten team, so a spot in the late teens or early 20s makes sense to begin.
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