Wisconsin Badgers believe one big improvement will make them a Final Four contender

It's part of an effort to get the Badgers into an elite category of teams nationwide that have battled deep into the NCAA Tournament.

Gard's goal is for Wisconsin to finish as a top 10 offense and defense on Kenpom. That, according to him, is the analytical makeup of a Final Four team.

With an offense already established as elite, the Badgers will have to make strides on defense in order to reach that goal.

Wisconsin's transfer portal additions figure to play a key role in the defensive improvements. Gard pointed to Nick Boyd and Braedon Carrington's college basketball experience as particularly impactful on that end.

They've also gotten bigger and more mobile this offseason.

"We got a lot of length on this year's team, we're all pretty tall, pretty versatile," Winter said. "[We're] pretty athletic one through five, so I think we can maybe throw some different things at different teams this year and try some new things that maybe in the past we haven't really done."

Those tweaks, according to Winter, include switching one through five — something Wisconsin hasn't been able to do in recent years because of personnel.

Their defensive issues from 2024-25 won't be solved by switching more, though. They'll have to play cleaner in transition and continue to harass shooters on the perimeter without fouling in order to maintain or improve upon their late-season defensive form.

Junior guard John Blackwell pointed to defensive rebounding by forwards and guards alike as a spot Wisconsin can improve. He referenced Wisconsin's 71-62 loss to Michigan State at the Breslin Center as a game they lost because of a failure to rebound.

The Spartans went plus-11 in total rebounds, and center Jaxon Kohler pulled down seven offensive boards individually.

With Nolan Winter, who's added roughly 20 pounds of "healthy weight" this offseason, filling the center spot, the Badgers will need to be even more physical in order to improve on the glass.

Wisconsin's roster changes and increased emphasis on defensive growth have given them confidence ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. However, they'll have to become the first Badgers team since 2018-19 to accomplish a top-10 finish.