1. LOOKING BACK

The Badgers enter a new season looking to improve on their second-round NCAA Tournament exit a year prior. UW earned a No. 3 seed to the 2025 NCAA Tournament, and fell to No. 6 BYU in a 91-89 contest. Nevertheless, the 2024-25 campaign was a groundbreaking one in several ways. Greg Gard led his crew to the Big Ten Conference Championship game for the second consecutive season, then the 3-seed in the tournament. The team broke a program in three-pointers made and was third all-time in points scored with 82.2 per game. John Tonje was a major factor in the Badgers’ offensive success, posting 19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists. The 55th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft earned First-Team All-Big Ten and Second-Team All-America for his efforts.

2. FAST FORWARD

Bucky came in at No. 24 in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll, joining five Big Ten programs. 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 recognition stems from an action-packed offseason as nine newcomers were welcomed to Madison.  

3. FAMILIAR FACES

Despite significant roster turnover across the college basketball landscape, UW returns key starters John Blackwell and Nolan Winter for their junior seasons. The pair represented Bucky at 2025 Media Day in Chicago, alongside Coach Gard.

Blackwell excelled in his sophomore season, seemingly as the No. 2 option to Tonje. He averaged 15.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game en route to an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention. He upped the level last postseason, earning Big Ten All-Tournament Team honors and leading UW in scoring in their opening NCAA Tournament win over Montana. 

Winter had a successful sophomore step up of his own playing in a dual-big-man setup with Steven Crowl. In fact, he ranked 5th in the Big Ten in scoring increases from the previous two seasons with a 7.1 point boost. He closed the season with 9.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. The 7-footer is often regarded as an X-Factor for Bucky: The Badgers have gone 14-3 in games that Winter eclipses double-digit points. 

4. NICE TO MEET YOU 

Nine newcomers will take the floor Sunday, including five transfers and four true freshmen. Amongst the group is former San Diego State and FAU guard Nick Boyd, who brings Final Four experience from his days at FAU. Sophomore Austin Rapp joins the Badgers from Portland, where he dominated in his lone season, winning WCC Freshman of the Year honors. Andrew Rohde arrives in Madison after two years in Virginia, and his freshman season at St. Thomas. The 6-foot-7 wing has done-it-all in three years, being the primary scorer for the Tommies with 17.1 PPG, before taking on a playmaking role at UVA, dishing out 3.5 APG from his wing position. 

5. GETTING THE LIGHTS ON

The Red-White Scrimmage marks one-of-three preseason contests for UW. They’ll head to Milwaukee on Friday, Oct. 24, for a matchup with Oklahoma in the Bad Boy Mowers Series. That game is slated for 7 p.m., and tickets can be found here. The Badgers will come back to the Kohl Center for a Wednesday, Oct. 29, matchup with Wisconsin-Platteville, part of a longstanding UW-Madison versus WIAC schools tradition. Wisconsin will open the regular season on Nov. 3 at home against Campbell.