Big Ten Basketball Preseason Power Rankings: 1-7

6. Wisconsin

Mar 15, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Bo Ryan waves to the crowd after cutting down the net after the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament against the Michigan State Spartans at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

2014-15 Record: 36-4 (16-2)

Key Players:

F Nigel Hayes, Jr

G Bronson Koenig, Jr

F Ethan Happ, Fr

G Zak Showalter, Jr

Outlook:

The Wisconsin Badgers have had a flawless system which has thrived over the past few seasons. This may be a down year for Bo Ryan‘s club, however. 

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The Badgers won the Big Ten regular season crown and then went on to win the Big Ten Tournament. They, then, followed it up with a national championship game appearance, which they lost to Duke. Wisconsin’s run at the top of the conference should come to an end this season.

The Badgers still have some talent, but they lost five impact players from a season ago, most notably Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker.

The Badgers have a fairly tough non-conference schedule, which may cause them to slip up before they even get into conference play. They’ll still be a factor in the Big Ten, but expect them to take a significant step back in 2015-16.

Projected Record: 23-6 (13-5)