Joe Lunardi Lists Wisconsin as First Team Out in Latest Bracketology

In his final preseason prediction, ESPN's resident bracket expert Joe Lunardi lists Wisconsin as his first team out of the NCAA Tournament in March.

Last year, the Badgers were one-and-done in the tournament after getting bounced by 12-seed James Madison in a humbling upset. This year, they'll face a steep climb to return to the Big Dance after losing stars A.J. Storr and Chucky Hepburn to the portal. Over the summer, Coach Greg Gard brought in several new transfers like John Tonje and Xavier Amos to try and guide the team back to the tournament to avenge last season's disappointment.

As far as expectations for the team go, despite the roster turnover, anything short of a tournament bid will leave a bitter taste in fans' mouths. In Lunardi's latest projection, he has 10 other Big Ten teams making the Dance ahead of the Badgers.

Based on Lunardi's bracket, he's probably assuming the Badgers end up being around a 19 win team. They won 22 last year on their way to a 5-seed, including an epic Big Ten tournament run to the championship game. Three wins fewer doesn't seem so bad right? Well, when you take into consideration that only five of the 68-team field last season won less than 20 games, it's easy to see how slim the margin of error is for Wisconsin.

With so many new faces on the roster, Wisconsin is a bit of a Pandora's Box this season. Let's hope that Lunardi views the Badgers a little to harshly and the team plays above expectations on their way to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances.