Projecting Who's Staying, Who's Leaving from Wisconsin After NCAA Tournament Loss
Wisconsin returned much of its production in 2023-24, and the familiar roster carried the Badgers back to the men's NCAA tournament.
However, the No. 5 seed Badgers were one-and-done after falling to No. 12 seed James Madison 72-61 in the first round.
Wisconsin can practically run it back again in 2024-25 and hope for a far better postseason result.
In all likelihood, most of the Badgers' key contributors will return. But there will be changes—incoming and outgoing players—and we're predicting the eventual construction of Wisconsin's next team.
Who's Staying
Well, to start, head coach Greg Gard. After missing the 2023 NCAA tournament, a late slide in the regular season put him back in the hot-seat crosshairs. The victory over Purdue in the Big Ten tourney effectively sealed what was already a strong likelihood Gard would return.
Save for one player, the entire roster has remaining eligibility. In theory, the Badgers will be extremely similar in 2024-25.
Top scorer AJ Storr likely has a professional future and may go through the 2024 NBA draft process, but he should be back in Madison. Chucky Hepburn and Steven Crowl may also be in that conversation, although their time is probably another year in the future.
Max Klesmit and John Blackwell, two essential wings, should also stick around for a fifth and second season, respectively.
Who's Leaving
Expect an extremely similar roster, yes, but it cannot be exactly identical.
Only one scholarship will open, and the program has signed two prospects in the 2024 recruiting class. At least one current player will transfer this offseason, and it's not unreasonable in the portal-focused era to anticipate more than that.
That departure is a big one, though. Tyler Wahl was a five-year contributor and started in each of his last 116 games—a streak dating back to the 2020-21 campaign.
Replacing Wahl's production and presence will be a top priority for Wisconsin in the offseason.