Andy Katz’s Way-Too-Early rankings show even the national media believe in Greg Gard

Last season, the Badgers were picked to finish 12th in the Big Ten and shocked many of the national pundits. They soared when many talking heads thought they would flounder, and they did it in a remarkable way, re-inventing the offense to be stretched and explosive. There were many doubts before the season, and those seem to have been wiped away now.

The national media have been loving Greg Gard lately, and it seems as if they trust him completely to pull off the roster rebuild this year and keep the Badgers hanging in the top 25. In fact, Andy Katz has them in his "Way-Too-Early Power 37" at No. 20.

Andy Katz ranks Wisconsin basketball at No. 20 in his Way-Too-Early Rankings

Greg Gard is losing many of his best players due to graduation and using up all their eligibility. John Tonje, Kamari McGee, Steven Crowl, Max Klesmit, and Carter Gilmore have all graduated. That's three starters and two major role players. However, it seems clear that the national media, Andy Katz, is indicative of this. Trust Gard to reload and be ready for another big run next season.

In some ways, Gard already has. According to On3.com, he has the No. 1 transfer portal class right now. He has added Austin Rapp, Nick Boyd, and Andrew Rohde in an impressive haul. He is losing only one player who played as a part of the regular rotation, Xavier Amos. According to On3.com, that's three 4-star transfers coming in with only one 3-star transfer going out.

Gard is also returning starter Nolan Winter and most likely star player John Blackwell (though Blackwell is sniffing the NBA Draft). He was also able to get Jack Janicki back in the fold and will probably pick up one or two more players in the portal. Gard isn't rebuilding; he's simply reloading.