The Wisconsin Badgers enter the New Year after a strong start to the 2024-25 season.
The team is 10-3 overall and 0-2 in Big Ten play, with resume-building wins over Arizona, Pittsburgh, UCF and Butler. While losses to Michigan, Illinois and Marquette currently hold it back from a top 25 ranking, its 8-0 start flashed potential as a top-end contender in the Big Ten.
Related: Updated game-by-game predictions for Wisconsin basketball entering 2025 Big Ten schedule
Greg Gard’s team must return to that early-season form as it starts play in 2025. The team opens against Iowa, Rutgers, Minnesota and Ohio State before a West Coast road trip begins a gauntlet stretch. A 3-1 start in those four games feels like a requisite if the Badgers have any chance of finishing near the top of the conference.
Rating metrics KenPom and ESPN BPI are somewhat skeptical of Wisconsin’s chances at that top finish. Both have the team ranked as a middle-of-the-road team in an 18-team Big Ten that boasts several of the top teams in the sport.
Specifically, here is how Wisconsin stacks up in both KenPom and ESPN BPI:
- KenPom: No. 31 (No. 9 Big Ten), with the No. 15 offense and No. 78 defense in the country.
- BPI: No. 35 (No. 9 Big Ten), with a projected record of 20.0 – 11.0 and a 4.9% chance to win the Big Ten.
The Badgers were slightly upgraded in both after sitting idle after a Dec. 22 win over Detroit Mercy. They were ranked No. 33 and No. 36, respectively, on Dec. 23.
Ranking upgrades and adjustments won’t matter when Big Ten play heats up in the coming days. The scoreboard and conference standing will be the statistics of relevance, that until NCAA Tournament cases are made in early-March.
Wisconsin will look for an important victory to open the New Year when Iowa travels to Madison on Jan. 3.
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