Wisconsin basketball enters 2025 and its full Big Ten schedule with a 10-3 (0-2 Big Ten) record.
The first stage of the season was mostly successful for Greg Gard’s team. It started 8-0 with impressive wins over then-No. 9 Arizona and Pittsburgh. While a three-game losing streak halted its momentum, two losses came in tight fashion to Big Ten rivals Michigan and Illinois.
Related: Updated game-by-game predictions for Wisconsin basketball entering 2025 Big Ten schedule
Wisconsin went 10-1 overall against its nonconference foes. The only loss was an 88-74 road defeat to then-No. 5 Marquette.
That mark puts the team in a strong position entering its full Big Ten slate. While its Big Ten record of 0-2 is currently tied for last, each team still has yet to play 90% of its conference schedule.
Wisconsin’s wins over Arizona, Pittsburgh, UCF and Butler build a strong initial resume for future NCAA Tournament consideration. That resume is enough to slot the team as a No. 8 seed (No. 32 overall) in Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology entering the New Year.
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) December 28, 2024
Wisconsin is on the No. 8-seed line along with Georgia, Clemson and San Diego State. Notably, several of the Badgers’ previous opponents are included in the projected field, with Marquette as a No. 2-seed, Illinois as a No. 5-seed, Pittsburgh as a No. 6-seed and Michigan as a No. 7-seed. Arizona and UCF both narrowly missed the cut, ranked No. 77 and No. 84 overall, respectively.
The Badgers return to the Kohl Center court on Jan. 3 at home against Iowa. That game begins an 18-game conference gauntlet. Wisconsin will need to recapture its strong early-season form if it is to rise in the bracket before March Madness begins.
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