{image1} When Wisconsin's NCAA Tournament run ended seven points short of the Final Four on Sunday, the Badgers careers of Mike Wilkinson, Clayton Hanson, Zach Morley, Sharif Chambliss and Andreas Helmigk ended along with it. And depending on which game you're referencing, that senior class represents 80 percent of the team's starting five.

Normally, teams that lose four starters don't harbor lofty goals for the next season. But Bo Ryan, whose teams has won two regular-season Big Ten titles, one conference tournament championship and advanced to the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight in his four seasons, should once again field a squad capable of challenging for the Big Ten title.

The keys to the 2005-'06 Badgers will be returning juniors Alando Tucker and Kammron Taylor. The duo combined for 43 points against the fast-paced Tar Heels Sunday and will be counted on to lead the way again next season.

Tucker, whose game moved from the post to the wing as a sophomore, led the team in scoring at 14.9 ppg and should be the go-to guy offensively. He has a knack for getting to the hoop and is a creative scorer, but his outside shot and free-throw percentage (67.8) both could improve. The best news is that he has two years of eligibility remaining.

Tucker will also benefit greatly from the return of Taylor, who had several memorable moments as a sophomore. His driving lay-up beat Michigan State on Jan. 16 to keep the team's home-court winning streak alive, and his late scoring helped the Badgers avert an upset against Northern Iowa in the NCAA Tournament. Taylor has a score-first mentality, but he can be expected to increase his assists total (1.7 apg) after a full year of running the offense.

His running mate at guard will probably be sophomore Michael Flowers. Flowers played only about nine minutes per game but was impressive in his limited stints. A notable defender, Flowers also has a fluid offensive game that should develop over the summer. He could be a surprise performer in the conference next year in the same way Taylor was this season.

Up front, the Badgers lose Wilkinson but return a lot of size. Brian Butch's first season was fairly forgettable, if only because of his advance billing. Frankly, he needs to get more aggressive and imposing; for a 6-11 guy, Butch plays awfully small. Those improvements will likely be part of his overall evolution, but he'll also have some offensive shoes to help fill absent Wilkinson's steady 14.4 ppg.

Fellow big men Greg Stiemsma and Jason Chappell again give the team three players at 6-10 or taller. But it's yet to be seen what impact the trio has in a guard-heavy conference.

Forward Ray Nixon will also return for his senior year and should see an increased role. Once utilized as a three-point shooter off the bench, Nixon evolved into a defensive stopper as the season progressed. He'll attempt to fill Morley's role as sixth-man/periodic starter and should contribute seven to 10 ppg.

The team's three-man recruiting class is promising; it's been ranked as the best in the Big Ten, though only in the Top 30 or 40 nationally. Small forward Joe Krabbenhoft of Sioux Falls, S.D. was the nation's 17th-best recruit, according to Rivals.com. He's a 6-7 swingman who can shoot the ball and could fight for a starting spot. He's been compared to both Kirk Penney and fellow South Dakotan Mike Miller, formerly of Florida and now with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Shooting guard Phillip "Mickey" Perry of Maywood, Ill. played at the same high school as ex-Badgers star Michael Finley. He's just 6-2 but has a great outside shot, according to scouting reports. Flowers has the inside track on the starting job opposite Taylor, but Perry should see plenty of minutes in a slimmed-down backcourt.

The class is currently rounded out by Milwaukee Vincent star Marcus Landry, another 6-7 forward. Landry led Vincent to a runner-up finish in the state finals and he also finished second to Madison Memorial's Wesley Matthews, Jr. for the state's Mr. Basketball award (Matthews will suit up for Tom Crean next year). Krabbenhoft and Landry have the offensive tools to eventually replace Wilkinson (I stress the word "eventually").

Assuming the freshmen take a while to develop, scoring could be difficult to come by. Ryan will rely more and more on Tucker and Taylor's ability to get to the basket and the free-throw line. But if Butch and his fellow big men provide presence and rebounding and Flowers and the freshmen emerge by conference play, there's no reason to believe the Badgers will change their winning ways. Expect them to battle Illinois, Indiana and Michigan State for another Big Ten title next year.