The Badgers are not looking to repeat history this week in Denver.
Heading into the 2025 NCAA Tournament, the Wisconsin Badgers have seen an eerily similar ending to their regular season as they did a season ago.
They had a slow stretch to end the year, resulting in the No. 5 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. They won three games to reach the Big Ten Championship Game, beating Northwestern, the No. 1 team in the conference (Purdue in 2024, Michigan State in 2025), and a team thanks to elite shooting (Maryland in 2024, UCLA in 2025).
They then lost a close six-point game in the Big Ten Championship to Michigan, just as they did to Illinois a year ago. Only last year, they bowed out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, getting upset by No. 12 James Madison in a rough ending to the season.
Wisconsin is looking to course correct in 2025 and avoid the early upset that has plagued them since 2017, when they last reached the Sweet Sixteen.
What did they learn from their abrupt end to the season in 2024?
“Well one, we’re healthier than we were a year ago,” head coach Greg Gard said on Tuesday. “We were pretty banged up. Although we didn’t talk about it at the time, we had some guys that were hurting that didn’t even literally run until Wednesday. So I think that’s one thing.
I think this team is built a little differently in terms of being able to have quick turnouts. We got more depth. We got quality depth at a lot of play at a lot of positions. And like I said, you just learn from it and you move on. I think quicker you can turn the page, [the better]. I didn’t.”
The Badgers are much deeper in 2024, being able to run nine to ten players on the court when needed, which allows for quick bursts and more energy from their top group.
But, Gard also reflected on the way he handled the day of the game, which he felt put Wisconsin at a disadvantage in 2024.
“I would have handled the Friday night game differently in terms of I felt the waiting around, looking back at it all day in the hotel, the 10 o’clock start or whatever we had was, was not good for us.
We just didn’t, we didn’t come out functioning like we should have and could have. That’s credit to JMU as well. But this team is different. And we’re, knock on wood, healthier and fresher than we were a year ago.”
Being healthy is arguably the most important factor heading into the NCAA Tournament, and Wisconsin is definitely better in that regard this time around, with Max Klesmit being the only one previously nursing an injury.
But, Klesmit ramped up during the Big Ten Tournament and should be a full go in the NCAA Tournament, providing Wisconsin with their full core of experience heading into a crucial postseason.