Wisconsin Basketball Season Preview 2024-25: Biggest games, key players to watch and more

The Wisconsin Badgers finished the 2023-24 season at 22-14, making the Big Ten championship and receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 5 seed in the South Region. However, they were upset by No. 12 JMU in the first round.

Coach Greg Gard and his coaching staff had a busy offseason, assembling a competitive roster that would contend in the expanded Big Ten and make another trip to March Madness. Here's an inside look into Wisconsin's 2024-25 college basketball campaign, from the biggest games of the season to the key players to watch out for.

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Wisconsin's biggest games of the 2024-25 season

Wisconsin will have a loaded nonconference season, starting with its clash against defending Sun Belt regular season champions Appalachian State on Nov. 10. The Badgers will face an acid test on Nov. 15 when they meet new Big 12 member and 18-time Pac-12 regular season champs Arizona.

They'll head to West Virginia for the Greenbrier Tip-Off Mountain Division tournament. Greg Gard's men will meet UCF on Nov. 22 and either Pittsburgh or LSU two days later.

Wisconsin will next travel to Fiserv Forum to take on Marquette on Dec. 7. It is the 16th meeting of both teams, with the Badgers leading the all-time series, 9-6.

They'll conclude their nonconference slate against Butler in the Indy Classic on Dec. 14 and Detroit Mercy on Dec. 21.

Wisconsin will play 20 games in the expanded Big Ten, with the Badgers squaring off against Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota in a home-and-away format. Greg Gard and his men will visit Maryland, Michigan State, Northwestern, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA and USC and host Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State and Washington to complete the conference slate.

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Top Wisconsin players to watch out for in the 2024-25 season

#1. Steven Crowl

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament First Round-Wisconsin vs. James Madison - Source: Imagn

Steven Crowl was Wisconsin's No. 2 scorer last season, tallying 11.2 points per game on 55.6% shooting from the field, including 44.8% from the 3-point line.

The seven-footer, who knocked down 74.2% of his free-throw attempts, averaged 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game for the Badgers.

#2. Camren Hunter

Camren Hunter (Image Source: IMAGN)

Camren Hunter transferred to Wisconsin after spending two seasons with Central Arkansas, where he was one of the top producers in his stint with the Bears.

The 6-foot-3 Hunter played 60 games for Central Arkansas and averaged 15.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.7 apg and 1.5 spg. He shot 43.4% from the field and 80.0% from free throws.

#3. Xavier Amos

Xavier Amos (Image Source: IMAGN)

Xavier Amos is coming off a two-season stint with Northern Illinois before transferring to Wisconsin during the offseason.

The 6-foot-8 forward excelled in his second season with the Huskies, where he played 25 games and tallied 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.3 blocks per contest. Amos made 49.6% of his shots from the field and 64.8% from the free-throw line.

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Predictions for Wisconsin's 2024-25 season

Wisconsin approaches the 2024-25 season with a deep roster consisting of eight returnees, three transfers and five freshmen. The Badgers are strong enough to win at least 20 games this year and make the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.

Greg Gard and his men would need to perform consistently to achieve their goal as the Big Ten will be tougher than ever due to the addition of Oregon, USC, UCLA and Washington into the mix.

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Will Wisconsin make the 2025 NCAA Tournament? Let us know your views in the comments section.