No. 16 Vanderbilt | No. 18 Utah | Full List
No. 17: WISCONSIN BADGERS
Last Season: 36-4, 16-2 Big Ten
Bo Ryan might retire after this season. Or, you know, he might not. In June, the 67-year-old coach, coming off his best chance at a Division I national title, declared that the 2015-16 season, his 15th with the Badgers, would also be his last. By August, Ryan had recanted, deciding to coach at least one more year and then decide.
Wisconsin basketball's future beyond Ryan -- and when it will begin -- may be rife with uncertainty. His teams never are. Sure, the Badgers lost Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker and more, enough to cripple most programs coming off back-to-back Final Four runs. Wisconsin, on the other hand, has never missed the NCAA tournament and never finished worse than fourth in the Big Ten in Ryan's tenure. Wisconsin is still Wisconsin. For now. -- Eamonn Brennan
Best Case: The Badgers had a magnificent 2014-15 season, going to their second straight Final Four and nearly winning the national title. Wisconsin played like a typical Bo Ryan team, with the lowest turnover rate in the country. Wisconsin played at one of the 10 slowest paces in college basketball, but had the best offensive rating in the country. A lot was lost, but Nigel Hayes and Bronson Koenig return, and there will be a lot of new faces and new names in Madison. If they develop quickly, the Badgers could play into the second weekend of the NCAA tournament.
Worst Case: Bo Ryan's "worst case" at Wisconsin has been, what, 19 wins and an NCAA tournament berth? Wow, and that is before Ryan's recruiting was so rock solid. Bo has talent, and Wisconsin will be just fine in a difficult Big Ten. Still, replacing Josh Gasser, Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker will not be easy. Wisconsin's worst case is not surviving the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament. But Wisconsin will be there.
"Nigel Hayes and Bronson Koenig are two of the best players in the league, but I'm not sure I can name another guy on the team. But they're going to run their system and make it tough for teams to beat them, especially in Madison. Hayes and Koenig give them a chance, but they are going to need at least one more guy to step up and be a consistent double-figure scorer."
No. 16 Vanderbilt | No. 18 Utah | Full List
