The Wisconsin Badgers have essentially rebuilt their basketball team this season with a starting roster change of three total players, not to mention the bench that will look dramatically different next season too, which makes it hard for analysts to predict how the Badgers will do. However, Andy Katz believes in the rebuilt team that Greg Gard put together. He lists them as sixth but a challenger for the title.
Time for @TheAndyKatz's late summer #B1GMBBall Power Rankings❕📊 Do you agree with his 1-18? pic.twitter.com/kY071ssotx
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) August 4, 2025
Andy Katz ranks the Badgers sixth in the Big Ten with the chance to be a top team
He ranks the eighteen teams in different categories, with the top five being "the favorites" and the second group as "the challengers." The Wisconsin Badgers lead this second category. While this will frustrate some fans that they aren't listed among the top five, there are really two problems with having them much higher than sixth before the season starts.
The first is what was already mentioned, they've changed so much since last year. While it looks like the roster is even better than last year's squad, it's hard for the analyst to predict. There have been some that have ranked the Badgers much lower than what Katz did in this ranking.
The second reason is that the Big Ten is loaded again in basketball. The conference will load up the NCAA Tournament again, similar to how they did last season. The top 10 teams in the league will all be some of the best teams in the nation. Which makes it hard for the average analyst to predict the Badgers will be the best of the best.
However, Katz is high on the Badgers. He mentions John Blackwell and Nolan Winter as stars, and the addition of Nick Boyd, a veteran leader who has been to the Final Four. He also talks about the depth on the bench with Braeden Carrington, "I love the additions for the Badgers."