The year, 1941: newspapers are filled with updates about World War II. Famous Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki is born. And the Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team wins the NCAA men’s basketball championship — for the last time.
Will Wisconsin finally find its way back to the front pages and break its championship drought this year?
This season has significantly more potential and optimism as March approaches than in other recent seasons.
Wisconsin currently holds the top spot in the Big Ten standings, beating out No. 2 Purdue. The Badgers are only three wins away from tying their Big Ten win total from last season with two months of basketball to play.
The Badgers’ success can be partially attributed to the player acquisitions they got in the 2023 offseason. Guards AJ Storr and John Blackwell, as well as forward Nolan Winter have been regulars in Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard’s roster rotations despite this season being their first with the Badgers.
Storr, a sophomore transfer from St. John’s, almost doubled his points per game this season compared to his time with the Red Storm. He leads the Badgers in scoring and worked his way into Wisconsin’s starting lineup the moment he stepped onto campus.
The Badgers’ most noticeable players from their freshman class, Blackwell and Winter, are considerably overachieving their expectations for this season.
Blackwell especially is a hidden gem for Wisconsin and gives the Badgers a lethal scoring threat off the bench they lacked in years prior. Blackwell already won Big Ten Freshman of the Week three times this season and can easily go down as the best Big Ten freshman guard this season.
According to CBS Sports, Wisconsin is projected to be a top-three seed in the NCAA tournament. If the Badgers can win one of their two matchups against No. 2 Purdue and their March 2 matchup against No. 10 Illinois, Badgers fans can expect big results when March Madness rolls around.
Wisconsin’s new faces this season — in addition to last season’s starters, who all returned this season — give the Badgers the talent and discipline to be frontrunners for the Big Ten championship and potential dark horses for the NCAA men’s basketball national championship.
