Wisconsin Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Badgers

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NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 19: Wisconsin Men’s Basketball Head Coach Greg Gard speaks. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

Season outlook and projections

On the whole, it is easy to see why many are projecting Wisconsin as a fringe top-25 team heading into this season. Ethan Happ is a proven college superstar and the program has been one of the most consistent throughout this century. These two factors alone are extremely intriguing but it is also important to remember that this team was nowhere near an NCAA Tournament bid last season.

Yes, the Badgers looked much better to close last season and will be completely healthy this year but let’s not forget that the team struggled even when healthy last season. In the 10 games where everyone (except Reuvers, who was considering redshirting) played last season, Wisconsin went just 4-6. Additionally, it may take some time for Trice and King to get back to 100% on the court due to the idea that their development was likely slowed/hampered by their injuries.

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And this goes without mentioning some of the flaws with the roster even when completely healthy. Quite simply, the Badgers are a team centered around an elite big man who cannot space the floor. Because of this, he needs to be surrounded by shooters in order to maximize the team’s potential. Yet, there is only one semi-proven above-average shooter on the roster and that is potentially problematic.

On the flip side, though, every team is going to have weaknesses. That is the way it is. And with more experience all around and better/deeper guard play this year, Wisconsin could be in good shape to receive an NCAA Tournament bid. Even as a Badger fan, I am not quite buying into the potential top-25 hype just yet. Wisconsin went just 15-18 last season and, in a stronger Big Ten, it will be even more difficult to get wins this season. The team is far more experience and hopefully more talented than last year but other teams improved as well.

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Disrespecting the consistency of Wisconsin and Happ’s all-around talent would likely be a mistake but it is also hard to bet on a team making massive strides based solely on health and year-over-year development without an influx of major talent. Wisconsin will be an interesting team to follow because they could be great or just as poor as last season. For now, though, I will settle in the middle.

Projections: 8th in the Big Ten – No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament

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