As the college basketball transfer portal continues to roll, the rankings from the national pundits are starting to come out, and Wisconsin fans should be pretty pleased to see where the Badgers are ranked. It also shows that head coach Greg Gard came in with a plan this offseason and executed it. He's also not done. Let's look at the rankings:
On3 Ranks Wisconsin No. 1 in the Basketball Transfer Portal
The big surprise was seeing Wisconsin sitting at the top of the On3.com basketball transfer portal rankings. Not that UW hasn't had a great transfer portal haul. In fact, that's the entire point of this article, but the Badgers are doing it in a very specific way. Looking for a fit both on and off the court is the main concern for Gard.
He isn't going after the 5-star transfer portal rankings if the players don't fit. He wants players who work for his offensive and defensive schemes. He knows what he wants, and he's gone after it.
However, On3.com does a good job of looking at each team's whole picture—who they lost and who they gained. Wisconsin has only lost one player that On3.com deemed a 3-star transfer (Xavier Amos). The rest were not ranked, and UW has added three 4-star players. That's a huge change.
On3's Big Ten Basketball Transfer Portal Rankings as of 4/11/25 pic.twitter.com/09gqWQOcLU
— The Big Ten Huddle 🎙️ (@TheBigTenHuddle) April 11, 2025
24/7 Sports Ranks Wisconsin No. 25 in the Basketball Transfer Portal
On the other hand, 24/7 Sports rankings has Wisconsin down all the way at 25. They seem to weigh the rankings more on who you add, not on what you subtract. Thus, the teams with more 5-star transfers are moving higher up the list. They don't account for subtractions at all, which is a huge part of the discrepancy.
Louisville is at the top of their list with one 5-star and two 4-star transfers. However, it doesn't take into account that they also lost a 4-star transfer.
Regardless, being at the top is not the important part for Greg Gard and Wisconsin. He's always going to build the roster his way, and that's what ultimately will lead to continued success. It seems he unlocked something last year in the portal, and hopefully, he will do it even better this year.