Tag: Ranking

Wisconsin basketball makes Andy Katz’s way-too-early Power 36

Where should the Badgers be ranked entering 2024-25?

Wisconsin basketball is included in Andy Katz’s way-too-early Power 36 for the 2024-25 season.

The Badgers are in at No. 21 overall, ranked as the No. 3 team in the Big Ten behind Purdue (No. 13 overall) and Illinois (No. 15 overall).

Related: Tracking Wisconsin basketball’s reported transfer portal visits and targets

Greg Gard’s team is off a disappointing 22-14 2023-24 campaign that included a rise to No. 6 in the AP Poll, a steep six-week drought entering postseason play, a run to the final of the Big Ten Tournament and another first-round NCAA Tournament exit.

The Badgers return starters Chucky Hepburn, Max Klesmit and Steven Crowl, plus promising youngster John Blackwell. The program is also set to welcome in top 2024 point guard Daniel Freitag in addition to whatever it does in the transfer portal. The roster should be well-equipped entering the season after losing A.J. Storr and Tyler Wahl from the 2023-24 team.

Expectations will be high for the Badgers entering 2024-25. I’d expect a ranking between 20 and 25 entering the season in most polls.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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Wisconsin basketball drops out of final USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Was Wisconsin’s 2023-24 season a success?

Wisconsin basketball found itself on the outside of the final USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll of the 2023-24 season.

The Badgers entered March Madness ranked No. 24 and with a ton of momentum after a run to the finals of the Big Ten Tournament. What followed was an unfortunate first-round NCAA Tournament loss to No. 12-seed James Madison and a subsequent drop from the top 25.

Related: Tracking Wisconsin basketball’s reported transfer portal visits and targets

The loss draped a dark cloud over what looked to be a promising season. On one hand, the Badgers clearly improved after 2022-23 and had once of the best offenses in program history. On the other hand, the team lost early in the tournament — and that’s most of what matters to many.

The Badgers finish 2023-24 in the ‘receiving votes’ category of the poll — tied with James Madison at 30 points.

Only two Big Ten teams finished the season in this top 25: Purdue at No. 2 and Illinois at No. 7. It was another promising regular season of Big Ten basketball, but yet another campaign with little postseason success.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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Wisconsin football adds specialist Sean West to its class of 2024

Wisconsin football adds specialist Sean West to its class of 2024

Wisconsin added a preferred walk-on commitment from class of 2024 kicker/punter Sean West Wednesday afternoon.

West went 15/19 on field goal attempts and 23/26 on extra points for Homestead High School in 2023. The specialist also averaged 42.9 yards per punt.

Related: Wisconsin football’s starting offense and defense begin to take shape at spring practice

The Badger walk-on earned the Kevin Stemke Award after his 2023 high school season —  the award given to Wisconsin’s best high school senior specialist.

West will join a specialist room in Madison currently led by returning kicker Nathanial Vakos and punter Atticus Bertrams. He will join the Wisconsin football program alongside a class of 2024 that finished ranked No. 25 in the nation with a blue-chip ratio of 50%.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

Former Wisconsin Badger is 247Sports’ best player in the transfer portal

Former Wisconsin Badger is 247Sports’ best player in the transfer portal

Former Wisconsin guard A.J. Storr is 247Sports’ top available player in the transfer portal.

The website updated its rankings after Storr entered the portal on Thursday. Storr leads a list that includes Stanford big man Maxime Raynaud, Rutgers center Clifford Omoruyi, USC small forward Kobe Johnson and Stanford guard Kanaan Carlyle.

Related: An early look at the Wisconsin basketball roster entering 2024-25

Storr entered the portal after one stellar season with the Badgers. He averaged 28.8 minutes, 16.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.6 steals for Greg Gard’s team in 2023-24 and was a driving force behind much of its offensive success.

The former Wisconsin and St. John’s guard also entered his name into the NBA draft, so even returning for another collegiate season is a question.

Gard and his staff are sure to be active in the transfer portal this offseason. Both Storr and Tyler Wahl’s production must be accounted for entering a pivotal 2024-25.

For more on Wisconsin’s roster and transfer portal activity, check out Badgers Wire’s ongoing 2024 transfer portal tracker.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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Wisconsin named one of the most attractive schools for future conference expansion

Wisconsin named one of the most attractive schools for future conference expansion

Wisconsin football was named one of the most attractive schools for any future conference expansion, according to an article by FootballScoop.

The ranking takes into account the factors that television executives are looking for: brand value, market size and general success.

FootballScoop’s exercise took every team in the nation and power-ranked them based on if conferences were disbanded immediately and built from scratch.

Related: Power ranking all 18 Big Ten football programs after the 2023 season

Wisconsin is No. 14 on the list with a total score of 241.9.

The 13 schools ranked ahead of Wisconsin, in order: Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama, USC, Texas, Notre Dame, Georgia, Penn State, Florida, UCLA, Oklahoma, LSU and Texas A&M.

This list will be interesting to revisit if conference expansion continues in the next few years — notably with the ACC’s current struggles.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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Where Wisconsin basketball’s upcoming recruiting classes rank nationally

Where Wisconsin basketball’s upcoming recruiting classes rank nationally

Wisconsin basketball enters the 2024 offseason needing a jolt.

The Badgers recently fell 72-61 to No. 12-seed James Madison in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The loss marked another disappointing early postseason exit for Greg Gard’s program and extended its Sweet Sixteen drought to seven years.

Related: If Wisconsin decides to move on from Greg Gard, who could it target as its next head coach?

The focus now turns to 2024-25. The Badgers should return almost all of their talent from this past season, plus are set to welcome in top 2024 point guard recruit Daniel Freitag. The program will also be active in the transfer portal this offseason.

While the loss to James Madison made the 2023-24 season a disappointment, the team will enter 2024-25 with a ton of potential and sky-high expectations.

Related: An early look at the Wisconsin basketball roster entering 2024-25

As the offseason continues and the class of 2024 arrives on campus, here’s a look at where Gard’s classes of 2024 and 2025 currently rank on 247Sports.com:

  • 2024: Two commits (top-ranked PG Freitag, three-star shooting guard Jack Robinson), No. 57 overall
  • 2025: One commit (three-star SG Zach Kinziger), No. 12 overall

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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Wisconsin returns to AP Top 25 in final edition ahead of March Madness

Wisconsin returns to AP Top 25 ahead of March Madness

Wisconsin basketball is back in the AP Top 25 with March Madness set to begin later this week.

The Badgers check in at No. 23 in the latest edition of the poll after not even receiving votes in last week’s edition.

Related: Wisconsin Badgers vs. James Madison Dukes: TV channel, betting line, game notes for NCAA Tournament Round of 64

The big moves comes on the heels of a 3-1 week at the Big Ten Tournament. Greg Gard’s team blew out top-70 Maryland team, comfortably defeated Northwestern even without point guard Chucky Hepburn, upset top-ranked Purdue and finally fell to a red-hot Illinois team.

Wisconsin is one of three Big Ten teams included in the poll along with Purdue at No. 3 and Illinois at No. 10.

The Badgers start their NCAA Tournament quest Friday night in Brooklyn, New York against No. 12-seed James Madison.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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Wisconsin fails to receive votes in latest AP and USA TODAY Coaches Polls

Wisconsin fails to receive votes in latest AP and USA TODAY Coaches Polls

Wisconsin basketball failed to receive votes in the latest editions of both the AP Poll and USA TODAY Coaches Poll.

The team is off a 1-1 week which saw a comfortable home victory against Rutgers and a narrow road defeat at the hands of top-ranked Purdue. The regular season-ending frame put the Badgers record at 19-12 overall and 11-9 in Big Ten play — marks good enough for an NCAA Tournament birth but not good enough for inclusion in either top 25.

Today was the final edition of each poll before most postseason tournaments begin. Next week will be the final polls before the start of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Wisconsin is scheduled to play its first Big Ten Tournament contest Thursday afternoon against the winner of Rutgers and Maryland. Wins would mean more matchups for Greg Gard’s team, something it may need to improve its standing before Selection Sunday.

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Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

Wisconsin’s class of 2025 rises in national ranking after latest addition

Luke Fickell’s 2025 class continues to rise:

Wisconsin football received a commitment from class of 2025 defensive lineman Torin Pettaway Thursday afternoon.

The commitment is the program’s ninth in the class of 2025, a strong start to a cycle that is critical to the continued success of the Luke Fickell era.

The addition of Pettaway brings Wisconsin’s 2025 group up to No. 8 nationally on 247Sports, but still No. 3 in the new Big Ten. The Badgers are ranked behind only Notre Dame, Clemson, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State and Auburn.

Related: Wisconsin football class of 2025 commitment tracker

It’s early in the process, and Wisconsin is currently without a blue-chip recruit in the class. But the foundation is being built early for a group that Badgers fans hope will best the program’s No. 25-ranked class of 2024.

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Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

Luke Fickell finished the 2024 cycle with Wisconsin’s highest-rated recruiting class in history

Thoughts on Luke Fickell’s first full recruiting cycle as head coach?

Luke Fickell’s class of 2024, his first full recruiting class as head coach at Wisconsin, can be labeled a resounding success.

Time will ultimately tell how each signee in the group performs, and whether that occurs in Madison or elsewhere. But now that the 2024 cycle has officially concluded, we can officially give props to Fickell’s effort.

Wisconsin’s class finished ranked No. 25 in the nation with 22 total signees. It also slotted as the No. 7-ranked class in the new Big Ten, behind Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, USC and Nebraska in that order. Notably, it was the program’s first time ever boasting a blue chip ratio of 50%.

Related: Where Wisconsin QB Tyler Van Dyke falls on Fanduel’s 2024 Heisman Trophy odds

It is headlined by four-star OT Kevin Haywood (No. 50 overall, 96 rating), four-star DL Ernest Willor Jr. (No. 120 overall, 94 rating), four-star RB Dilin Jones (No. 139 overall, 94 rating) and four-star DL Dillan Johnson (No. 161 overall, 93 rating).

An account on X recently compared Fickell’s class to what the Badgers have done in the past. The findings: the class boasts the highest average recruit ranking in program history.

I’m a big believer in average recruit ranking telling a better story than total composite score. 10 five-star recruits would be a better class than 40 three-stars, but that’s not what the numbers necessarily show.

Semantics aside, Fickell should be praised for his recruiting efforts this cycle as he works to install his program on both sides of the football.

The future of Wisconsin in the new Big Ten is very much unknown. What is known: the Badgers must recruit at this level and higher for the program to join the conference’s elites.

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Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.