The Badgers will be leaning on some new faces this year after losing star guard Johnny Davis to the NBA Draft.
RELATED: Johnny Davis picked 10th overall in NBA Draft by Washington Wizards
Tyler Wahl, Max Klesmit and Chucky Hepburn are coming back, however, adding some veteran depth to the squad. Hepburn started in 33 games last season as a freshman, averaging 7.9 points per game. Wahl was also a sure hand last season, starting 32 games and averaging 11.4 points per game.
It’s a weak showing in the preseason AP Top 25 for the Big Ten. The highest-ranked team in the conference is No. 13 Indiana and only two other teams made it into the rankings, No. 22 Michigan and No. 23 Illinois.
North Carolina opens up at No. 1 after losing in last season’s National Championship game. Gonzaga, Houston and Kentucky round out the top four. Last season’s National Champion, Kansas, is tied with Baylor at No. 5.
FIRST AP POLL OF THE 2022-23 SEASON!
1. North Carolina
2. Gonzaga
3. Houston
4. Kentucky
T5. Baylor
T5. Kansas
7. Duke
8. UCLA
9. Creighton
10. Arkansas— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) October 17, 2022
The Big 12 and SEC have the most ranked teams with five apiece, while the Big Ten, PAC 12 and ACC have three each.
RELATED: Badger men’s basketball team releases 2022-2023 season schedule
Wisconsin’s regular season is less than a month away. The Badgers will play an exhibition game against UW-Eau Claire on October 30 at the Kohl Center before opening things up for real on November 7 against South Dakota.
The Badgers will return to Milwaukee for the first time since their NCAA Tournament loss when they take on Stanford on November 11, except this game won’t be at Fiserv Forum. It will be a special game at American Family Field. The Badgers will return to Fiserv on December 3 as they renew their rivalry with Marquette.
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