# 2024–25 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team

The 2024–25 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Badgers are led by 10th-year head coach Greg Gard and play their home games at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin as members of the Big Ten Conference.

## Previous season

The Badgers finished the 2023–24 season 22–14, 11–9 in Big Ten play to finish in fifth place. They defeated Maryland, Northwestern, and Purdue to advance to the championship of the Big Ten tournament. There they lost to Illinois. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 5 seed in the South region. They were upset in the first round by James Madison.

## Offseason
### Departures

All players listed as "graduated" are tentative departures unless otherwise noted.
Wisconsin departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Tyler Wahl | 5 | F | 6'9" | 225 | Graduate Student | Lakeville, MN | Graduated |
| Connor Essegian | 3 | G | 6'4" | 195 | Sophomore | Fort Wayne, IN | Transferred to Nebraska |
| AJ Storr | 2 | G | 6'7" | 205 | Sophomore | Rockford, IL | Transferred to Kansas |
| Chucky Hepburn | 23 | G | 6'2" | 195 | Junior | Omaha, NE | Transferred to Louisville |
| Gus Yalden | 34 | F | 6'9" | 245 | Freshman | Appleton, WI | Transferred to Seton Hall |
| Luke Haertle | 12 | G | 6'4" | 215 | RS Freshman | Hartland, WI | Transferred to Winona State |
| Isaac Lindsey | 10 | G | 6'4" | 185 | RS Junior | Mineral Point, WI | Transferred to South Dakota State |
| Ross Candelino | 30 | G | 6'5" | 195 | Sophomore | Jacksonville, FL | Transferred to Lipscomb |

### Incoming transfers

Wisconsin incoming transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| John Tonje | 9 | G | 6'6" | 215 | Graduate Student | North Omaha, NE | Missouri |
| Xavier Amos | 13 | F | 6'8" | 215 | Junior | Chicago, IL | Northern Illinois |
| Cam Hunter | 3 | G | 6'3" | 200 | Junior | Bryant, AR | Central Arkansas |

### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Daniel Freitag G | Minneapolis, MN | Breck School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Jun 2, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Jack Robison G | Lakeville, MN | Lakeville North High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Oct 25, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 81 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2024 Wisconsin Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 29, 2024. "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.com. Retrieved June 29, 2024. "ESPN- Wisconsin Badgers Men's Basketball Recruiting". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 29, 2024. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved June 29, 2024. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 29, 2024. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 30, 2024* 7:00 p.m., B1G+ | | UW–River Falls | W 78–62 | – | 15 – Tonje | 7 – Winter | 6 – McGee | Kohl Center (13,473) Madison, WI |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 4, 2024* 7:00 p.m., B1G+ | | Holy Cross | W 85–61 | 1–0 | 23 – Tonje | 8 – Crowl | 4 – McGee | Kohl Center (13,451) Madison, WI |
| November 7, 2024* 7:00 p.m., B1G+ | | Montana State | W 79–67 | 2–0 | 26 – Klesmit | 8 – Winter | 4 – Crowl | Kohl Center (13,554) Madison, WI |
| November 10, 2024* 11:00 a.m., B1G+ | | Appalachian State | W 87–56 | 3–0 | 17 – Tied | 8 – Winter | 5 – Tonje | Kohl Center (13,913) Madison, WI |
| November 15, 2024* 8:00 p.m., Peacock | | No. 9 Arizona | W 103–88 | 4–0 | 41 – Tonje | 6 – Tonje | 6 – Crowl | Kohl Center (16,838) Madison, WI |
| November 18, 2024* 7:00 p.m., BTN | No. 19 | UT-Rio Grande Valley Greenbrier Tip-Off campus game | W 87–84 | 5–0 | 30 – Blackwell | 7 – Blackwell | 3 – Blackwell | Kohl Center (13,423) Madison, WI |
| November 22, 2024* 4:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 19 | vs. UCF Greenbrier Tip-Off Mountain Division Semifinals | W 86–70 | 6–0 | 17 – Blackwell | 10 – Winter | 4 – Tonje | Colonial Hall (1,112) White Sulphur Springs, WV |
| November 24, 2024* 4:30 p.m., CBSSN | No. 19 | vs. Pittsburgh Greenbrier Tip-Off Mountain Division Championship | W 81–75 | 7–0 | 33 – Tonje | 9 – Crowl | 5 – Klesmit | Colonial Hall (1,112) White Sulphur Springs, WV |
| November 30, 2024* 12:00 p.m., Peacock | No. 15 | Chicago State | W 74–53 | 8–0 | 22 – Tonje | 7 – Crowl | 5 – Tied | Kohl Center (14,711) Madison, WI |
| December 3, 2024 8:00 p.m., Peacock | No. 11 | Michigan | L 64–67 | 8–1 (0–1) | 18 – Tonje | 9 – Blackwell | 2 – Tied | Kohl Center (14,582) Madison, WI |
| December 7, 2024* 12:30 p.m., FOX | No. 11 | at No. 5 Marquette Rivalry | L 74–88 | 8–2 | 22 – Klesmit | 11 – Crowl | 5 – Gilmore | Fiserv Forum (18,107) Milwaukee, WI |
| December 10, 2024 8:00 p.m., Peacock | No. 20 | at Illinois | L 80–86 | 8–3 (0–2) | 15 – Winter | 7 – Winter | 4 – Klesmit | State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL |
| December 14, 2024* 1:30 p.m., BTN | No. 20 | vs. Butler Indy Classic | W 83–74 | 9–3 | 20 – Winter | 8 – Winter | 5 – Blackwell | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (15,045) Indianapolis, IN |
| December 22, 2024* 1:00 p.m., BTN | | Detroit Mercy | W 76–53 | 10–3 | 18 – Winter | 11 – Winter | 5 – Blackwell | Kohl Center (14,098) Madison, WI |
| January 3, 2025 6:00 p.m., FS1 | | Iowa | W 116–85 | 11–3 (1–2) | 32 – Blackwell | 8 – Tied | 6 – Klesmit | Kohl Center (16,838) Madison, WI |
| January 6, 2025 6:00 p.m., FS1 | | at Rutgers | W 75–63 | 12–3 (2–2) | 21 – Blackwell | 10 – Crowl | 3 – Tied | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| January 10, 2025 6:00 p.m., Peacock | | Minnesota | W 80–59 | 13–3 (3–2) | 18 – Crowl | 6 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Kohl Center (14,239) Madison, WI |
| January 14, 2025 8:00 p.m., Peacock | No. 24 | Ohio State | W 70–68 | 14–3 (4–2) | 17 – Tonje | 7 – Crowl | 2 – Blackwell | Kohl Center (14,527) Madison, WI |
| January 18, 2025 2:00 p.m., BTN | No. 24 | at USC | W 84–69 | 15–3 (5–2) | 28 – Blackwell | 5 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Galen Center (6,938) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 21, 2025 8:30 p.m., Peacock | No. 18 | at UCLA | L 83–85 | 15–4 (5–3) | 24 – Tonje | 5 – Tied | 4 – Blackwell | Pauley Pavilion (6,695) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 26, 2025 12:00 p.m., BTN | No. 18 | Nebraska | W 83–55 | 16–4 (6–3) | 27 – Tonje | 7 – Tied | 4 – Amos | Kohl Center (16,838) Madison, WI |
| January 29, 2025 6:00 p.m., BTN | No. 17 | at Maryland | L 68–76 | 16–5 (6–4) | 23 – Tonje | 9 – Crowl | 3 – Tied | Xfinity Center (17,950) College Park, MD |
| February 1, 2025 1:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 17 | at Northwestern | W 75–69 | 17–5 (7–4) | 27 – Tonje | 7 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Welsh–Ryan Arena (7,039) Evanston, IL |
| February 4, 2025 8:00 p.m., Peacock | No. 21 | Indiana | W 76–64 | 18–5 (8–4) | 15 – Tonje | 8 – Blackwell | 6 – Klesmit | Kohl Center (14,447) Madison, WI |
| February 8, 2025 12:00 p.m., NBC | No. 21 | at Iowa | W 74–63 | 19–5 (9–4) | 22 – Tonje | 8 – Crowl | 4 – Tonje | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (12,693) Iowa City, IA |
| February 15, 2025 12:00 p.m., CBS | No. 16 | at No. 7 Purdue | W 94–84 | 20–5 (10–4) | 32 – Tonje | 6 – Tonje | 6 – Klesmit | Mackey Arena (14,876) West Lafayette, IN |
| February 18, 2025 7:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 11 | Illinois | W 95–74 | 21–5 (11–4) | 31 – Tonje | 8 – Winter | 5 – Crowl | Kohl Center (15,170) Madison, WI |
| February 22, 2025 11:00 a.m., FOX | No. 11 | Oregon | L 73–77 $^{OT}$ | 21–6 (11–5) | 22 – Tonje | 7 – Tied | 2 – Tied | Kohl Center (16,838) Madison, WI |
| February 25, 2025 8:00 p.m., Peacock | No. 11 | Washington | W 88–62 | 22–6 (12–5) | 24 – Blackwell | 10 – Blackwell | 4 – Crowl | Kohl Center (14,804) Madison, WI |
| March 2, 2025 12:30 p.m., CBS | No. 11 | at No. 8 Michigan State | L 62–71 | 22–7 (12–6) | 19 – Blackwell | 17 – Winter | 3 – Tied | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI |
| March 5, 2025 7:30 p.m., BTN | No. 12 | at Minnesota | W 74–67 | 23–7 (13–6) | 25 – Blackwell | 11 – Blackwell | 5 – McGee | Williams Arena (14,625) Minneapolis, MN |
| March 8, 2025 12:00 p.m., Peacock | No. 12 | Penn State | L 75–86 | 23–8 (13–7) | 19 – Tied | 7 – Tonje | 3 – Tied | Kohl Center (16,838) Madison, WI |
| Big Ten Tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 2025 1:30 p.m., BTN | (5) No. 18 | vs. (13) Northwestern Second Round | W 70–63 | 24–8 | 18 – Tied | 7 – Tied | 3 – Crowl | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (13,216) Indianapolis, IN |
| March 14, 2025 1:30 p.m., BTN | (5) No. 18 | vs. (4) UCLA Quarterfinals | W 86–70 | 25–8 | 26 – Tonje | 9 – Tonje | 4 – Tied | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (13,298) Indianapolis, IN |
| March 15, 2025 12:00 p.m., CBS | (5) No. 18 | vs. (1) No. 7 Michigan State Semifinals | W 77–74 | 26–8 | 32 – Tonje | 8 – Crowl | 5 – Gilmore | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (13,612) Indianapolis, IN |
| March 16, 2025 2:30 p.m., CBS | (5) No. 18 | vs. (3) No. 22 Michigan Championship | L 53–59 | 26–9 | 18 – Blackwell | 7 – Tied | 3 – Klesmit | Gainbridge Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 20, 2025 12:30 p.m., TNT | (3 E) No. 13 | vs. (14 E) Montana First Round | | | | | | Ball Arena Denver, CO |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | 19 | 15 | 11 | 20 | RV | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 18 | 17 | 21 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 18 | 13 | |
| Coaches | RV | — | 25 | 17 | 11 | 22 | RV | RV | — | RV | RV | 19 | 17 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 10 | |

## Player statistics

Individual player statistics (through 3/16/2025) :
| | | | Minutes | Minutes | Scoring | Scoring | Total FGs | Total FGs | Total FGs | 3-point FGs | 3-point FGs | 3-point FGs | Free Throws | Free Throws | Free Throws | Rebounds | Rebounds | Rebounds | Rebounds | | | | | |
| Player | GP | GS | Tot | Avg | Pts | Avg | FG | FGA | Pct | 3FG | 3FA | Pct | FT | FTA | Pct | Off | Def | Tot | Avg | A | TO | Blk | Stl | PF |
| Tonje, John | 35 | 35 | 1088 | 31.1 | 672 | 19.2 | 192 | 416 | .462 | 80 | 206 | .388 | 208 | 229 | .908 | 27 | 160 | 187 | 5.3 | 62 | 66 | 6 | 26 | 60 |
| Blackwell, John | 35 | 35 | 1082 | 30.9 | 543 | 15.5 | 190 | 424 | .448 | 55 | 170 | .324 | 108 | 133 | .812 | 36 | 143 | 179 | 5.1 | 75 | 75 | 2 | 30 | 91 |
| Crowl, Steven | 35 | 35 | 888 | 25.4 | 337 | 9.6 | 128 | 241 | .531 | 28 | 69 | .406 | 53 | 65 | .815 | 51 | 137 | 188 | 5.4 | 87 | 51 | 16 | 18 | 75 |
| Winter, Nolan | 35 | 35 | 745 | 21.3 | 332 | 9.5 | 120 | 214 | .561 | 33 | 91 | .363 | 59 | 75 | .787 | 62 | 144 | 206 | 5.9 | 37 | 26 | 13 | 14 | 55 |
| Klesmit, Max | 31 | 31 | 861 | 27.8 | 291 | 9.4 | 88 | 255 | .345 | 49 | 174 | .282 | 66 | 78 | .846 | 7 | 66 | 73 | 2.4 | 83 | 34 | 2 | 26 | 48 |
| McGee, Kamari | 35 | 4 | 771 | 22.0 | 236 | 6.7 | 82 | 175 | .469 | 39 | 82 | .476 | 33 | 41 | .805 | 19 | 73 | 92 | 2.6 | 67 | 21 | 2 | 31 | 75 |
| Gilmore, Carter | 35 | 0 | 661 | 18.9 | 135 | 3.9 | 48 | 102 | .471 | 20 | 57 | .351 | 19 | 25 | .760 | 26 | 62 | 88 | 2.5 | 47 | 17 | 16 | 9 | 77 |
| Amos, Xavier | 35 | 0 | 336 | 9.6 | 120 | 3.4 | 41 | 111 | .369 | 19 | 62 | .306 | 19 | 27 | .704 | 13 | 49 | 62 | 1.8 | 16 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 32 |
| Janicki, Jack | 35 | 0 | 411 | 11.7 | 70 | 2.0 | 27 | 69 | .391 | 13 | 47 | .277 | 3 | 7 | .429 | 10 | 39 | 49 | 1.4 | 30 | 8 | 9 | 15 | 41 |
| Ilver, Markus | 19 | 0 | 66 | 3.5 | 31 | 1.6 | 10 | 28 | .357 | 7 | 21 | .333 | 4 | 4 | 1.000 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 0.5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| Greppi, Riccardo | 8 | 0 | 19 | 2.4 | 8 | 1.0 | 2 | 3 | .667 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 4 | 6 | .667 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 1.1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Robison, Jack | 13 | 0 | 17 | 1.3 | 6 | 0.5 | 2 | 4 | .500 | 2 | 2 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | .--- | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0.3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gard, Isaac | 12 | 0 | 14 | 1.2 | 3 | 0.2 | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | .––– | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Hunter, Camren | 10 | 0 | 19 | 1.9 | 3 | 0.3 | 1 | 8 | .125 | 1 | 4 | .250 | 0 | 0 | .––– | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Freitag, Daniel | 14 | 0 | 27 | 1.9 | 2 | 0.1 | 1 | 11 | .091 | 0 | 6 | .000 | 0 | 3 | .000 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0.3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Hodges, Chris | 14 | 0 | 16 | 1.1 | 1 | 0.1 | 0 | 3 | .000 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1 | 4 | .250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Konop, Aidan | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | .--- | 0 | 0 | .––– | 0 | 0 | .--- | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 35 | - | 7025 | - | 2790 | 79.7 | 933 | 2065 | .452 | 347 | 994 | .349 | 577 | 697 | .828 | 328 | 950 | 1278 | 36.5 | 512 | 340 | 79 | 181 | 583 |
| Opponents | 35 | - | 7025 | - | 2465 | 70.4 | 880 | 2124 | .414 | 274 | 830 | .330 | 431 | 596 | .723 | 344 | 845 | 1189 | 34.0 | 434 | 350 | 116 | 165 | 646 |