Wisconsin has 6 games against teams ranked in the preseason AP Top 25

The Badgers' toughest game, based on the rankings, is Nov. 15 against No. 10 Arizona.

Mar 16, 2024; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard Max Klesmit (11) shoots as Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer (2) defends during the second half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

If it wasn't clear already, it certainly should be now that the world believes the Wisconsin Badgers are a middle of the road Big Ten team and barely a top-50 team in the country entering the 2024-25 men's college basketball season.

On Monday, the preseason AP Top 25 poll was released and the Badgers, while not included, did get five votes to finish in a 45th position. That's right on par with the KenPom rankings that have the Badgers 46th in the nation.

1. Kansas
2. Alabama
3. UConn
4. Houston
5. Iowa State
6. Gonzaga
7. Duke
8. Baylor
9. UNC
10. Arizona
11. Auburn
12. Tennessee
13. Texas A&M
14. Purdue
15. Creighton
16. Arkansas
17. Indiana
18. Marquette
19. Texas
20. Cincinnati
21. Florida
22. UCLA
23. Kentucky
24. Ole Miss
25. Rutgers

The Big Ten preseason media poll picked Wisconsin to finish 12th in the 18-team conference. KenPom has Wisconsin as the 46th-best team in the nation and the 10th-best squad in the Big Ten. According to the AP votes, the Badgers are also the 10th-best team in the conference.

The nine teams ranked above Wisconsin the AP poll include: Purdue (14), Indiana (17), UCLA (22), Rutgers (25), Illinois (26), Michigan State (32), Ohio State (33), Michigan (34) and Oregon (36).

The highest-ranked team on Wisconsin's schedule is Arizona at No. 10 in the nation. That game will be played at the Kohl Center in Madison on Nov. 15. The next game on the schedule against a preseason Top 25 team is Dec. 7 at Marquette. The only other contests against preseason top-25 teams are Jan. 6 at Rutgers, Jan. 21 at UCLA, Feb. 4 at home against Indiana, and Feb. 15 at Purdue.