Wisconsin rises again in ESPN’s way-too-early top 25

The offseason love continued for Greg Gard and the Wisconsin Badgers today as they rose AGAIN in ESPN’s “Way-Too-Early Top 25…

The offseason love continued for Greg Gard and the Wisconsin Badgers today as they rose AGAIN in ESPN’s “Way-Too-Early Top 25 for 2020-21.”

Previously ranked at No. 7, the Badgers moved up one spot to No. 6 as they continue to skyrocket after starting the offseason ranked No. 15.

Here’s what ESPN college basketball insider Jeff Borzello had to say about the 2020-21 Badger team.

After starting the offseason ranked No. 15, the Badgers continue to rise in the rankings and are inching closer to the top five. Unlike with pretty much every other team in the country, nothing has changed, personnel-wise, for Greg Gard’s team. There have been no surprising departures and no transfer additions — just continuity from a team that finished the season as hot as any other team in the country. During the final month of the season, Wisconsin was 8-0 and had the No. 3 adjusted efficiency ranking, according to BartTorvik.com. Will that carry over to next season? To live up to this ranking, it will have to, but the facts that all five starters from the stretch run are back and all five are seniors should certainly help. The Badgers were far more dangerous from the perimeter late in the season, shooting 41% from 3 in the final eight games. Gard will once again trot out five players capable of making 3s, which will pose problems for opposing defenses.

This ranking kept the Badgers as the No. 2-ranked team in the Big Ten behind only the Iowa Hawkeyes at No. 5.

I’m not one for random projection but, if the team was able to go from No. 15 to No. 6 in a few months, trajectory says we could have a No. 1-ranked team in Madison this season.