Through Oct. 31, Sports Illustrated will count down its preseason college basketball Top 25 with overviews of each team. Here are the full rankings so far.
Last year’s national coach of the year was Rick Pitino, but I’m not sure any coach in America did a better job in 2024–25 than Greg Gard. He landed what turned out to be the best transfer in the sport in John Tonje, adapted his offensive philosophy to incorporate better pace and more shooting, and helped the Badgers win 27 games. Gard’s teams consistently overachieve, which is why you’ll see the Badgers ranked higher here than most other preseason ranks.
From Tonje to AJ Storr to Johnny Davis, Wisconsin has had an impressive run of star wings lately. Next up is John Blackwell, who was a highly effective second option to Tonje a year ago and now steps into a starring role. He averaged 16 points per game in Big Ten play last year and seems to get little fanfare compared to the Big Ten’s other established stars. Nolan Winter is also a rising junior and rising star in Madison, Wis. His ability to stretch the floor, protect the rim and battle on the boards makes him a perfect Wisconsin big.
Wisconsin will miss Tonje, as well as some key veteran role players who were valuable pieces. But the talent around Blackwell and Winter is enough to buy this as a top-20 team.
Projected Starting Lineup
PG: Nick Boyd
SG: John Blackwell
SF: Andrew Rohde
PF: Austin Rapp
C: Nolan Winter
Key Reserves: G Braeden Carrington, G Jack Janicki, F Aleksas Bieliauskas
Key Additions
For as good as the Badgers were last season, point guard play was a bit suspect. Kamari McGee and Max Klesmit shared ballhandling responsibilities and were solid, but San Diego State transfer Nick Boyd should have more impact. He’s a dogged defender who’s been to three straight NCAA tournaments, including a Final Four, and is very good from beyond the arc.
Having Andrew Rohde will allow Boyd to be freed up to score. Rohde’s a heady guard with good size who averaged more than four assists per game and shot 40% from three last season at Virginia. Boyd, Blackwell and Rohde will likely all initiate the offense at times.
But the big swing is Austin Rapp, a tantalizing 6' 10" shooting forward who transfers in from Portland. He took the most threes of any player 6' 9" or taller in the country last season, making 83 threes at 35% while flashing some passing chops in the process. Wisconsin’s bigs being able to stretch the floor was a big part of what made its offense so hard to guard a year ago, and Rapp should put a lot of pressure on opposing defenses because of his shooting ability.
A few freshmen could also work their way into the mix: Lithuanian big Aleksas Bieliauskas is another pick-and-pop threat who showed well at the FIBA U20 Euros; Hayden Jones is a do-it-all wing with significant youth national team experience for New Zealand; and Zach Kinziger is an in-state product who’s an absolute bucket getter.
Causes for Concern
Tonje’s season was a 99th-percentile outcome for any transfer and was the biggest driver of Wisconsin’s success last year, more so than the stylistic adjustments. There’s certainly a world where the Wisconsin offense looks more like Badger teams of old than their high-flying attack last season with their star gone.
The Badgers’ depth is also a question, especially if the aforementioned freshmen aren’t ready to go. Last year’s bench unit with McGee, Carter Gilmore and Xavier Amos is gone, and that trio, along with Janicki, provided really useful minutes a year ago.
The Bottom Line
The Badgers have been a relatively safe bet under Gard to at least crack the top 20, landing as a top-five seed in five of the last seven years. This year’s portal class, when paired with Blackwell and Winter, gives them enough talent to be right in that same mix yet again. The next step is a March breakthrough, with folks in Madison restless for a trip to the second weekend that hasn’t come since 2017.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sports Illustrated’s Men’s College Basketball Preseason Top 25: No. 18 Wisconsin.
