Where Wisconsin basketball falls in USA TODAY's top 25 after transfer portal, NBA draft
UW, which landed at No. 19 in the outlet's too-early top 25 preseason rankings in April, rose three spots in the hierarchy following its activity in the portal. The Houston Cougars earned USA TODAY's No. 1 position, followed by the Duke Blue Devils (No. 2), UConn Huskies (No. 3), Purdue Boilermakers (No. 4) and Florida Gators (No. 5). Including UW, a total of seven Big Ten squads made the cut.
Sandwiched between the Tennessee Volunteers (No. 15) and Arizona Wildcats (No. 17), the Badgers added five players in the portal, three of whom will see a heavy dose of minutes throughout the 2025-26 season.
Following the departures of star wing John Tonje, longtime starting center Steven Crowl, starting guard Max Klesmit and bench assets Carter Gilmore, Kamari McGee and Xavier Amos, Greg Gard and the Badgers' recruiting brass brought in transfers Nick Boyd (San Diego State), Andrew Rohde (Virginia), Austin Rapp (Portland), Braeden Carrington (Tulsa) and Elijah Gray (Temple).
In addition to the incoming playmakers, star guard John Blackwell maintained his collegiate eligibility when he announced his withdrawal from the 2025 NBA draft. With Tonje and Steven Crowl out of the offensive picture, Blackwell will assume the duties of a No. 1 offensive option in his third season as a Badger.
Here's what USA TODAY analysts Paul Myerberg, Jordan Mendoza, Eddie Timanus and Erick Smith wrote about Wisconsin's outlook following the portal and draft:
"Wisconsin will build around guard John Blackwell, who took his name out of the draft in favor of another year in Madison. He'll team with former Florida Atlantic and San Diego State guard Nick Boyd will form one of the top backcourts in the Big Ten. The Badgers also brought in a deep threat in wing Andrew Rohde (Virginia) and a very promising young big man in sophomore Austin Rapp (Portland), the reigning West Coast Conference rookie of the year."
The Badgers went 27-10 a season ago, enough to pocket a No. 3 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament and spot in the Big Ten title game. While the losses are significant, the talent accumulated in the portal is no joke. Last season, Boyd led the Aztecs in scoring with a career-best 13.9 points per game and dished out 3.9 assists per contest. Rapp, who spent his freshman year at Portland, notched 13.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 blocks as the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year.
Boyd, Rapp and Rhode, who chalked up 9.3 points. 4.3 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game off over 41% shooting from 3-point range, all figure to start for Gard this coming season. Their boost may prove enough for Wisconsin to pocket a Big Ten regular season title and advance to its first Sweet 16 in nearly a decade.
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