24. Wisconsin Badgers
Greg Gard’s squad looks for more offensive firepower with John Blackwell stepping into a bigger role. Transfers Nick Boyd from San Diego State and Austin Rapp from Portland bring scoring punch. Wisconsin’s faster pace makes them one of the more entertaining Big Ten teams to watch.
The Badgers made a run in the Big Ten Tournament a season ago after struggling down the stretch. Wisconsin lost three out of their last five games, including a home game to Penn State, to finish the regular season.
When the Big Ten Tournament started, the Badgers turned up the heat. Wisconsin beat Northwestern by seven to start play in Indianapolis. The quarterfinals saw a game against the UCLA Bruins, in which Wisconsin won by 16 points. That set up a game against the top-seeded Michigan State Spartans. Tonje went for 32 points and the Badgers won 77-74. The next day, the Badgers fell to No. 22-ranked Michigan Spartans, but were able to pick up a three seed in the NCAA Tournament.
- Head Coach: Greg Gard (11th season)
- Home Arena: Kohl Center, Madison, WI.
- 2024-25 Record: 27-10
- 2024-25 Conference Record: 13-7
- 2024-25 Advancement: NCAA Tournament Round of 32 loss to Brigham Young University 91-81
- Leading scorer: John Tonje, 19.6 points per game
- Leading rebounder: Nolan Winter 5.8 per game
- First Game: Tuesday, November 3 w/ Campbell