If you told me this past December that you thought the Wisconsin Badgers could go undefeated from February 9 until the end of the year I would have called you crazy. Nobody, absolutely nobody after watching the first three months of a topsy-turvy start to the 2019-20 season expected Wisconsin to be heading into their final regular season game at Indiana with a Big Ten title hanging in the balance. The 2019-20 team did not care about our expectations for them or any noise that could potentially sway their focus. Even when odds were stacked against them, they responded time and time again. The best news? Nearly the entire team is coming back to Madison to finish what they started.
So with D’Mitrik Trice, Nate Reuvers, Aleem Ford, Micah Potter, and Brad Davison all coming back to Madison for their senior season, what should realistic expectations be? The first answer is that Wisconsin should absolutely be considered the Big Ten favorite heading into the year, and that would even include if reigning Big Ten Player of the Year Luka Garza returns to Iowa instead of heading to the NBA. The preseason big three is clear, the order is less obvious: Iowa (assuming Garza returns), Wisconsin, and Michigan State.
At this point, the team with the least questions of the three is Wisconsin. Once Iowa answers the Garza question, I could see a case for them being Big Ten favorites, although the continuity of a Badgers core that has played together and already won a championship together should give them the edge. Even if Michigan State big man Xavier Tillman returns instead of staying in the NBA draft, which at this point does not look extremely likely, the Spartans still have an inexperienced backcourt following the departure of their leader Cassius Winston.
Realistic expectations should see the Badgers as a two or three seed when the dust settles in March. Back-to-back Big Ten crowns would be ideal, but as is the unfair life that is college basketball, you are truly judged based on a few weeks in March. Wisconsin has all the pieces to be a successful team in The Big Dance. Senior leadership, depth, rebounding, and a regular season schedule that will be more challenging than most given the nature of the Big Ten should set the Badgers up for postseason success in 2020-2021. Anything less than a second weekend appearance would feel like a disappointment in March. Should we expect a Final Four? Unfortunately, the nature of college basketball makes that a fools errand. You are always one bad shooting night away from going home before your fan base feels like you should.
A Big Ten championship and a second weekend appearance feels like a fair bar to set, although I understand if Badger fans are clamoring for more this season. This team has all the makings for a Final Four run, and although they are built entirely differently than the 2014-15 squad, it would be fair to say they have the highest expectations since that team made a run to the National Championship game. This team could be special.