The Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team will begin their 2024-2025 regular season on Nov. 4 at home against Holy Cross. The preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll was released on Wednesday in advance of the 2024-25 campaign, and Wisconsin begins in the ‘receiving votes’ section.
The USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll is conducted weekly throughout the college basketball regular season using a panel of head coaches at Division I schools. Wisconsin garnered one vote heading into the regular season.
The top five teams open the 2024-2025 campaign are No. 1 Kansas, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 UConn, No. 4 Houston and No. 5 Duke. Kansas is notable in particular to Badgers fans as guard A.J. Storr transferred to join the Jayhawks after one season with Wisconsin in 2023-2024.
Here’s a look at the full preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll:
| Rank | School | Last Year’s Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas | 23-11 | 743 (15) |
| 2 | Alabama | 25-12 | 718 (6) |
| 3 | Connecticut | 37-3 | 717 (6) |
| 4 | Houston | 32-5 | 698 (4) |
| 5 | Duke | 27-9 | 625 |
| 6 | Iowa State | 29-8 | 591 |
| 7 | Gonzaga | 27-8 | 575 |
| 8 | Baylor | 24-11 | 545 |
| 9 | Arizona | 27-9 | 510 |
| 10 | North Carolina | 29-8 | 498 |
| 11 | Auburn | 27-8 | 465 |
| 12 | Tennessee | 27-9 | 437 |
| 13 | Purdue | 34-5 | 390 |
| 14 | Creighton | 25-10 | 342 |
| 15 | Texas A&M | 21-15 | 332 |
| 16 | Arkansas | 16-17 | 272 |
| 17 | Marquette | 27-10 | 268 |
| 18 | Indiana | 19-14 | 208 |
| 19 | Texas | 21-13 | 166 |
| 20 | Cincinnati | 22-15 | 163 |
| 21 | Florida | 24-12 | 130 |
| 22 | UCLA | 16-17 | 123 |
| 23 | Kentucky | 23-10 | 95 |
| 24 | Illinois | 29-9 | 87 |
| 25 | Mississippi | 20-12 | 66 |
Others Receiving Votes
Texas Tech 60; Rutgers 57; St. John’s 42; Xavier 26; Michigan State 25; Oregon 16; BYU 16; Kansas State 11; Saint Mary’s 9; Boise State 9; Clemson 8; Ohio State 7; Dayton 7; Maryland 4; Grand Canyon 3; Wake Forest 2; Virginia 2; San Diego State 2; Princeton 2; Mississippi State 2; Wisconsin 1;
Within the Big Ten, four programs cracked the top 25, while six others were listed in the ‘receiving votes’ section. Those in the top 25 are No. 13 Purdue, No. 18 Indiana, No. 22 UCLA and No. 24 Illinois. Rutgers (57 votes), Michigan State (25 votes), Oregon (16 votes), Ohio State (seven votes), Maryland (four votes) and Wisconsin (one vote) just missed out.