Wisconsin basketball exceeded all expectations last season on their way to a three-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Led by star transfer John Tonje, they put up huge numbers and will look to continue their scorching hot offense into 2025. However, there was one glaring problem on last year's roster, and the coaching staff didn't do much to address it this year either.
In 2024, despite their success, Greg Gard and Badger basketball had a problem. They had no one in the middle as a rim-protector, which led to constant bullying by other stronger big men in the paint. Wisconsin was second to last in the Big Ten in blocks with just 2.4 per game, and lacked any defensive presence near the rim. It was a constant complaint of fans everywhere, yet Gard and company did very little to address the problem this offseason.
Will interior defense doom the Badgers again in 2025?
Wisconsin will likely feature three new starters this year to pair with John Blackwell and Nolan Winter. With Winter making up one half of the frontcourt, and new transfer Austin Rapp presumably making up the other, the offensive fireworks will be something to see, however the defense leaves something to be desired. Rapp's 1.5 blocks per game with Portland would've lead the Badgers last year, by a lot, but he's not especially known for his shot-blocking prowess.
Freshman Will Garlock has some upside at 7-feet tall, but he's not expected to see major minutes. Riccardo Greppi is still relatively unknown as well, so where is the dominant defense inside the Badgers desperately need going to come from?
Well, the fact is Wisconsin will face a lot of the same issues as last year, pending a huge defensive development from Winter or Rapp, and it seems like Gard is fine with that. The Badgers have made offense their focus, and paired with solid team defense, it's a decent formula. Wisconsin will stretch teams out with their shooting and athletic bigs, but there is a very real chance that bigger, stronger teams just take advantage inside again, and it's going to be frustrating.