Mar 22, 2025; Denver, CO, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard reacts during the second half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Ball Arena. Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Wisconsin Badgers basketball picked to finish outside Top 5 in Big Ten this season

Originally posted on Wisconsin Badgers on SI
By Lorin Cox | Last updated Oct 9, 2025 12:24 PM ET

Excitement is building for the start of the Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball season later this month, but this team will once again have plenty to prove.

The fan base is eager to see how the transfer portal additions fit in around John Blackwell and Nolan Winter, but the national media still needs to be convinced.

Writers from across the USA Today Network did a media poll of how each team in the conference will finish, and the Badgers landed at sixth.

USA Today Network writers pick Wisconsin Badgers to finish sixth in Big Ten in 2025-26 https://t.co/fppQSEnXJ6
— JSOnline - Sports (@jsonline_sports) October 8, 2025

Separately, the Indianapolis Star and Columbus Dispatch did their own media poll that ranked Wisconsin seventh.

The Big Ten does not do an official poll, which is why the news outlets conduct their own.

Stacking up the Big Ten

Both of these polls have Purdue, Illinois, Michigan, UCLA and Michigan State ahead of the Badgers. The Star and Dispatch poll also ranked Oregon above Wisconsin.

Sixth and seventh are still higher than UW was ranked in media polls last season, when they landed outside the Top 10 and vastly exceeded expectations on their way to a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Yet, despite finishing as the runner up in the Big Ten Tournament last year, the Badgers still find themselves ranked behind many of their peers.

Greg Gard will have to work his magic once again to show how the team's player development and transfer pickups can carry Wisconsin deep into the postseason once again.

This article first appeared on Wisconsin Badgers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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