MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin men's basketball team lands at No. 24 in the inaugural 2025-26 AP Poll, with the top-25 being released on Monday. It's the Badgers' first appearance in the preseason rankings since the 2020-21 season, despite making the NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 seed, or higher, in the three of the last five seasons.
The Badgers sit just above blue-blood North Carolina, and earned more votes than the likes of Oregon, N.C. State, Ohio State, Texas and several others.
Overall, the Badgers will square off with seven ranked teams this season, including Big Ten foes Purdue (No. 1), Michigan (7), UCLA (12), Illinois (17) and Michigan State (22). They'll take on No. 8 BYU during the non-conference slate on Nov. 21, before potentially meeting with defending national champion, and No. 3 Florida at the Rady Children's Invitational on Nov. 28, should the two squads win their seminal matchups the day prior.
UW is one-of-four Big Ten schools that return from the final 2024-25. This is due in part to the return of key starters
John Blackwell and
Nolan Winter, alongside five incoming transfers and four true freshman.
Also receiving votes were Oklahoma, Oregon, Ohio State, USC, Washington, Iowa and Indiana, all of whom the Badgers will play this season. UW will take on Oklahoma during an exhibition at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, before facing the others at the start of Big Ten play, the first being USC on Jan. 25.
