Wisconsin is coming off a season that, by all accounts, exceeded expectations, and yet, left fans wanting more.

The Badgers were dropped by BYU in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, but impressive seasons by John Blackwell and transfer John Tonje highlighted the year. Now, with 10 players from that 2024 squad gone, the team will feature a lot of new players, and a lot of new challenges, so what are the three biggest questions facing Greg Gard and company this season?

How will the new transfers mesh?

Last year, John Tonje was the steal of the portal and a huge reason Wisconsin made it as far as they did.

To hit the lottery twice though? It’s unlikely, and Gard may have to rely on several of the new players to inject that same life that Tonje brought.

The team will most likely feature three new starters this year to pair with Blackwell and Nolan Winter, presumably Austin Rapp, Andrew Rohde and Nick Boyd.

Last year, many fans thought Camren Hunter could come in and start, yet he ended up in a reserve bench role, so it’s always hard to project the skill and fit of the incoming transfers.

How they mesh with the current roster will be one of the biggest reasons Wisconsin succeeds, or fails, this year.

What’s plan B if Blackwell does actually leave for the NBA?

There still remains a slight possibility that John Blackwell could leave for the NBA if his stock rises enough over the next month.

Currently, he’s not projected to be drafted by most mock drafts, but if for some reason his status skyrockets, do the Badgers have a backup plan? The answer is probably, yes, but not a great one.

Blackwell figures to be Wisconsin’s best player next year if he stays on his current trajectory, and losing him would be catastrophic to be quite dramatic.

Jack Janicki would be forced into a much more prominent role, and true freshman Zack Kinsiger may get thrown into the fire.

Those are two up-and-coming players, but probably aren’t ready to handle a starting workload.

It’s a small chance Blackwell leaves, but it could have more of an impact that even Chucky Hepburn’s departure in 2024.

Did Gard address last season’s issues enough?

Last year, fans complained of a lack of a true rim protector and a lack of scoring options behind Tonje and Blackwell.

So did he address those problems enough for 2025? He brought in forward Austin Rapp, who will slot in alongside Winter, but again, he’s more of a stretch four type than a true center, so Wisconsin getting bullied on the inside may continue.

It could once again be a frustrating weakness in Gard’s propensity to only play bigs who can also move outside and shoot.

The other issue could be scoring.Outside of Blackwell, it’s a huge question mark as to who might handle the load. There’s a lot of new faces, but none are really regarded as pure scorers.

So the answer may be a committee approach. It’s worked for Wisconsin in the past and could work again, but there are times you need guys like Tonje who can just go and get a bucket.

Maybe Boyd or even Winter could prove to be 17 points per game guys, though.