Wisconsin firmly on the bubble in latest ESPN bracketology

Wisconsin basketball has experienced high-end roster turnover since the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.

The Badgers saw the departure of stars Chucky Hepburn (transfer portal), A.J. Storr (transfer portal) and Tyler Wahl (graduation). 2024-25 figured to be an all-in season with Hepburn and Storr possibly returning. That plan was immediately thwarted when the two entered the portal, likely in order to capitalize on the benefits of the current era of college basketball.

Related: Where every member of Wisconsin’s record-breaking recruiting class of 2021 is now

Greg Gard and his staff responded. They landed Central Arkansas guard Camren Hunter, Missouri guard John Tonje and Northern Illinois forward Xavier Amos in the following weeks. The roster now appears to be in solid shape entering the 2024-25 season, given the extreme circumstances.

Badgers fans may be believers, but ESPN is slower to buy into what the 2024-25 Badgers will look like on the floor. Its latest bracketology update has Gard’s team as the ‘First Team Out,’ firmly on the tournament bubble.

The Badgers are listed in the ‘First Four Out’ along with Northwestern, Nebraska and Missouri.

Storry’s new destination Kansas, meanwhile, is the projected No. 1 overall seed. Hepburn’s Louisville Cardinals did not make the field.

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Story originally appeared on Badgers Wire