Wisconsin Basketball 2025-26 Preview: Badgers Led By Blackwell

Rapp can help fill the void of Crowl alongside returning big-man Nolan Winter. Jack Janicki started showing promise last season as well.

The freshman group for Wisconsin basketball has plenty of local talent from within the state, along with international talent. Zach Kizinger is from De Pere, Wisconsin while center Will Garlock comes from Middleton, Wisconsin.

Hayden Jones is a 6-foot-7 guard from New Zealand. He has a chance to play quickly as does Lithuania’s Aleksas Bieliauskas.

Rest of the Team:

Jack Robison (Sophomore)

Riccardo Greppi (Sophomore)

Isaac Gard (Senior)

Schedule Outlook

The Badgers test themselves with a power exhibition game against Oklahoma at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee along with one other exhibition game before they kick off the 2025-26 season at home with Campbell (November 3rd). Other key games on the Badgers conference schedule include a clash with BYU and AJ Dybantsa in Salt Lake City (Nov. 21st).

That clash leads into the Badgers Holiday tournament in San Diego as they face Providence in the Children’s Invitational, before a possible match-up with TCU or defending National Champion Florida.

Then comes an old rivalry clash with Marquette in early December, in between their two early Big Ten match-ups against Northwestern and at Nebraska.  Villanova is the final big non-con game in December as they pair will take to the floor at Fiserv Forum.

As for the rest of the Big Ten, the Badgers get a whose who of powerful match-ups in arguably the toughest conference in the country. They get three massive games against three of the top dawgs in the conference in early January.

Home: Purdue, UCLA, Rutgers, USC, Minnesota, Ohio State, Michigan State, Iowa, Maryland

Road: Michigan, Minnesota, Penn State, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio State, Oregon, Washington, Purdue

Last Word on the Badgers

Facing Purdue , UCLA and Michigan in early January, certainly should show what the Badgers are made of. Coach Gard always has the Badgers in the hunt, much like they were in 2024-25. They might not have enough to win the Big Ten, but John Blackwell certainly has a shot to be one of the best players in the league. That has to give Wisconsin fans confidence to believe their team will be in the thick of the Big Ten fight. Getting defending Big Ten Champion Michigan State in Madison has to feel good. Wisconsin just knows how to retool, and expect them to be in the fight throughout the season.