The Wisconsin Badgers indeed have the look of a College basketball betting throwback. While rosters elsewhere are turning over at a dizzying rate and increasingly relying on newcomers, the Badgers stand pat. To illuminate, Wisconsin is set to run back a starting lineup of five players who have seen significant minutes with the program. All have multiple years of experience. Is all that veteran leadership good enough to push them into contention for a Big Ten Title? Of course, Wisconsin has its share of detractors. The Badgers are often hard on the eyes.
2023-24 Wisconsin Badgers Basketball Preview Betting Information
| National Championship Odds: | +8000 |
|---|---|
| Betting Online Odds at SBG: | Click Here |
2023-24 Wisconsin Badgers Basketball Outlook
In like manner to their football program, the Wisconsin Badgers basketball program once wallowed for generations in a sports betting wasteland. From 1898 through 1993, Wisconsin won two NCAA Tournaments. Incredibly enough, the Badgers won the 1941 national championship. And then, from 1994 through 1998, Wisconsin made two big dance appearances. It was the first sign that the Badgers could compete nationally.
Since 1999, Wisconsin has missed the NCAA Tournament only twice. The Badgers made the Final Four in 2000, 2014, and 2015 in this renaissance period and have had ten Sweet Sixteens since 2000. Since 2002, the Badgers have had five Big Ten regular season titles and three Big Ten tournament championships. Hence, the Badgers are considered a perennial contender with good board value from a gambling perspective.
Namely, Dick Bennett was the first coach in the modern era to take Wisconsin out of mediocrity to its current status as a March Madness regular. Bennett led Wisconsin to the 2000 Final Four by emphasizing a suffocating defense to compensate for the lack of 5-star recruits. Bennett retired with a career record of 93-69.
Next came Bo Ryan, who elevated the Badgers to a more complete style of play with even more winning. Ryan led UW to the Final Four in 2014 and 2015 with a loss in the national championship game on that second trip. Bo Ryan led the Badgers to the NCAA Tournament every season he coached from 2002-2015. He had four Sweet Sixteens and an Elite Eight to go with his two Final Fours.
In sum, Ryan’s career NCAABB betting record at Wisconsin was 364-130 with a .737 winning percentage. He was a four-time Big Ten Coach of the Year. Ryan won four Big Ten championships, making Wisconsin a permanent winner and contender.
When Ryan retired, Greg Gard was Ryan’s top assistant and took over the program four games into the 2015-16 season. Gard had huge shoes to fill but took off running. To summarize, Gard has one Big Ten championship and was named 2020 Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Like Bennett and Ryan before him, Gard is a defense-first coach. At times, he has struggled to keep more talented players in the program. Also, he had clashes with players who, in retrospect, were too hyper-sensitive. But Gard ultimately prevails with his kind of guys. The Badgers have a reputation for being tough, smart, and resourceful.
Specifically for 2023-24, this group looks to be one of the most complete teams Greg Gard has. Of course, you can never be too sure with the volatility of the league. And the injury factor is an important one to note for the Badgers. Wisconsin will be aided by improved depth throughout the roster, which was missing for the better part of 2022-23.