Although Badger basketball fell to BYU in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the season by most measures was successful. Picked to finish 12th in Big Ten preseason polls, the Badgers rode transfer John Tonje's high-powered offense all the way to a 27-win season and a third place finish. So were do the Badgers rank in ESPN's final report card for the 2024 season?
Badgers receive top mark from ESPN's post-season grades
Along with Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State and Maryland, Wisconsin received an 'A' from ESPN. The grade was based on the team's performance compared to preseason rankings, and it would be difficult to find a team who outperformed their projections more than the Badgers.
After losing Chucky Hepburn and AJ Storr to the portal, plenty of fans could probably admit now that they were a little nervous for the season. Enter John Tonje, who after only one season in Madison, is already a Badger legend, and will most likely hear his name called at some point during this summer's NBA Draft. He averaged 19.6 points per game with Wisconsin, and was one of, if not the top, transfers in the country.
This season, the Badgers find themselves in a somewhat familiar spot. They lost Tonje and starters Steven Crowl and Max Klesmit, and their success will largely hinge upon how well the new transfers can come in and produce. Now, their preseason ranking will most likely fall in the four to seven range this time around, but don't be fooled, there is still a lot of uncertainty around this year's team. But never count Greg Gard out.