Which Wisconsin team do you think had the best season in 2024?
Vote in our poll below, and feel free to add a different team to the list.
After a showing in the playoffs that launched the 2023 Packers beyond anyone’s expectations for a team with first-year quarterback Jordan Love, Green Bay was able to overcome Love’s injury and jump out to a 10-4 start, with all four losses against the three best teams in the NFC. It remains to be seen if Green Bay can overcome those teams when it really counts, but the squad has gotten elite play from newcomers Josh Jacobs and Xavier McKinney, not to mention a resurgent performance from Love once he healed from a Week 1 injury. Backup Malik Willis has played a prominent role in three victories.
For the second year in a row, Shaka Smart led the Golden Eagles to the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and this time the program broke through to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013. Though Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro left for the NBA, the Golden Eagles opened the 2024-25 season as a top-10 team in the country, led by standout guard Kam Jones.
For a second straight year, the team went down in payroll and went up in win total. The 2024 Brewers won 93 games despite the challenges of replacing manager Craig Counsell and pitchers Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff, not to mention injuries to stars Christian Yelich and Devin Williams that shaved months off their season. The year ended in disappointment with a 2-1 series loss to the Mets in the National League Division Series, but the arrival of Jackson Chourio and MVP play of William Contreras leave hope for 2025 and beyond.
After a seventh straight Big Ten title, the UW men’s cross country team added a fourth-place finish at the NCAA national meet, with senior Bob Liking taking 16th overall to top the Badgers. Wisconsin scored 212 points, just 10 behind Arkansas for third place. By the way, in Division III, UW-La Crosse won the NCAA men’s championship, with UW-Whitewater’s Christian Patzka winning the individual title.
The program reached the NCAA championship game, falling 1-0 to Ohio State, with two players among the top three considered for the Patty Kazmaeier Award (Casey O’Brien and Kirsten Simms). Both of those players, along with Olympian Caroline Harvey, are back, and UW is out to a 19-1 start in 2024 and own the No. 1 ranking in the nation, one spot ahead of Ohio State. Could a rematch be looming for all the marbles in 2025?
