The 2025-26 college basketball season is underway. For most programs, the next several weeks represent a critical opportunity to round into form before Thanksgiving tournaments and conference play.
That’s the exact case for the Wisconsin Badgers, who enter the 2025-26 season with three highly-touted transfers in the starting lineup, plus several new faces coming off the bench. The team has a sky-high ceiling, as evidenced in the final 10 minutes of its win over Campbell. However, given its significant offseason roster turnover, the team likely needs time to gel, especially on defense.
The Badgers will need to reach their top form by the time December rolls around, as the Big Ten Conference is projected to be a gauntlet this year. Fourteen teams are in the top 50 of KenPom entering the season, including six in the top 25 and three in the top 10.
With the season now underway, here is an early look at the conference landscape.
Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings Entering 2025-26 Season
- Purdue Boilermakers (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten; No. 1 in KenPom)
- Michigan Wolverines (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten; No. 9 in KenPom)
- UCLA Bruins (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten; No. 20 in KenPom)
- Wisconsin Badgers (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten; No. 18 in KenPom)
- Michigan State Spartans (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten; No. 35 in KenPom)
- Illinois Fighting Illini (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten; No. 5 in KenPom)
- Iowa Hawkeyes (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten; No. 39 in KenPom)
- Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten; No. 37 in KenPom)
- USC Trojans (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten; No. 23 in KenPom)
- Maryland Terrapins (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten; No. 38 in KenPom)
- Oregon Ducks (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten; No. 46 in KenPom)
- Indiana Hoosiers (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten; No. 33 in KenPom)
- Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten; No. 50 in KenPom)
- Northwestern Wildcats (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten; No. 59 in KenPom)
- Minnesota Golden Gophers (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten; No. 68 in KenPom)
- Washington Huskies (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten; No. 42 in KenPom)
- Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten; No. 80 in KenPom)
- Penn State Nittany Lions (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten; No. 104 in KenPom)
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Updated Big Ten basketball power rankings entering 2025-26 season
