CBS Sports analyst sees Wisconsin Badgers basketball as not a 'serious title threat' in 2025

Even after losing John Tonje, Steve Crowl, and Max Klesmit, among others from last year's team, Wisconsin basketball is set to have another solid team in 2025-26.
The Badgers bring back John Blackwell, who could compete for the Big Ten Player of the Year, and adding San Diego State transfer Nick Boyd helps, too.
Wisconsin finished fourth in the Big Ten Conference last season and easily made the NCAA Tournament. Greg Gard is bound and determined to get Wisconsin back to the big dance and make a statement when doing so.
According to CBS Sports' Isaac Trotter, Wisconsin should get back to the NCAA Tournament next season. Trotter ranked each Big Ten team into tiers, and he has the Badgers in Tier 3: 'NCAA Tournament Team'
He categorizes that third tier as teams with "good rosters and could flirt with top-25 status," but he says these teams also "aren't serious title threats."
Tier 3 - Wisconsin Badgers
Just a heads up: Wisconsin's offense is going to put teams in a blender again. Blackwell gives the Badgers a legitimate Big Ten Player of the Year contender, and he's surrounded by so much shooting. Boyd, Rapp, Rohde and Winter all shot over 35% from downtown last year on real volume.
- Isaac Trotter (CBS Sports)
Boyd and Blackwell are also pests defensively which will be necessary because the interior defense for Wisconsin could be an area of weakness. There's a lot riding on Winter leveling up on that end in Year 3. The Badgers don't have great depth, but this still appears to be a well-constructed team that should make the NCAA Tournament.
Big Ten basketball tiers
— Isaac Trotter (@Isaac__Trotter) June 3, 2025
- early takeaways on every team's roster, including how some X's and O's could change
- Projected starting lineups
- Just three (!) freshmen slated to start. Whiplash after last year
- The depth of this league is ludicroushttps://t.co/6PN4LBMtQt
His early Wisconsin depth chart is the following:
G: Nick Boyd
G: John Blackwell
G: Andrew Rohde
F: Austin Rapp
F: Nolan Winter
His bench contributors:
G Braeden Carrington
G Jack Janicki
F Riccardo Greppi
F Aleksas Bieliauskas
The only two 'title contenders' Trotter listed from the Big Ten Conference were both Purdue and Michigan.