Wisconsin Basketball 2015 Season Predictions
By Jim Oxley
Apr 6, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Bo Ryan and players react on the bench during the first half against the Duke Blue Devils in the 2015 NCAA Men
The Wisconsin basketball team faces a tough challenge in the 2015-16 season, as the Badgers lose lots of talent from a group of players that took the Wisconsin Badgers basketball program to new heights in the form of back-to-back Final Four appearances and a national championship berth.
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While that run ended on a sour note in a national championship loss, there’s no denying the enormity of the successes the most recent Wisconsin basketball teams achieved.
But, as is life in college basketball, players move on and the Badgers have holes to fill. Big holes. Frank Kaminsky-sized holes. Sam Dekker-shaped holes.
Wisconsin loses its top two scorers in Kaminsky and Dekker, and both its leading rebounder and leader in assists in Kaminsky. The two represented a significant portion of Wisconsin’s stats last year, and were among the best players in the country. By just about every award out there, Kaminsky WAS the best player in the country.
Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin also bids farewell to one of the best role players in Wisconsin history, Josh Gasser. His versatility allowed the Badgers to do a variety of things in the offensive lineup, while his defensive tenacity showed up every single game.
Also departing are point guard Traevon Jackson and forward Duje Dukan. Jackson’s injury a year ago cut short his season, although he returned to play important minutes in the NCAA Tournament. Dukan as well was a key player off of the bench, and his skills were rewarded with an NBA contract this summer.
With those five players gone, the 2015-16 Wisconsin basketball team will move forward with a few key pieces from last year’s team and many, many new faces.
No one expects much from this year’s Badgers. They’ve already been called overrated after just one AP Poll has been released, and most are predicting the worst Big Ten finish under Bo Ryan’s tenure.
The Badgers, after a tuneup game Wednesday, Nov. 4 against UW-River Falls, will get their first chance to show the country who they will be in 2015 on Friday, Nov. 13, when Western Illinois heads to the Kohl Center.
Here Badger of Honor will give you a taste of how we feel 2015-16 will play out for the Badgers and the Big Ten Conference.
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