Division 1 Basketball: Top Surprise Teams

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Which teams at the WIAA Division 1 level have surprised the most this season based on preseason prognostications? Let's dive into the list and give these programs, players and coaches the credit they deserve.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/hartford/">Hartford</a></strong> -- Picked no higher than sixth in the seven-team North Shore Conference, the Orioles have put together a very good season under coach Chris Smith. With one game left in the league season, Hartford would finish third in the standings with a win over a red-hot Nicolet squad on Thursday. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1561963' first='Sam' last='Richter'] (15.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg) along with juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2140870' first='Alex' last='Kuepper'] (13.7 ppg, 51 made three-point shots) and [player_tooltip player_id='2932217' first='Ethan' last='Webb'] (12.0 ppg) have been the top performers for the Orioles, who are 17-6 to easily surpass last year's mark of 9-16.<br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/muskego/">Muskego </a></strong>-- The Warriors came into the 2025-26 campaign with a new head coach in Steve Liberto. Expectations were no very high as Muskego was picked for eighth place in the eight-team Classic Eight Conference. After losing four of its first outings, Muskego has played some steady and impressive basketball on the way to an 11-11 record that includes season sweeps of league rivals Waukesha West and Catholic Memorial. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='3021320' first='Brenden' last='Larson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1561918' first='Dominic' last='Musolf'] along with juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2330058' first='JJ' last='DeFranco'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3021319' first='Braedon' last='Dibb'] have played big roles in helping Muskego exceed expectations.<br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/badger/">Badger </a></strong>-- [player_tooltip player_id='1561928' first='Brock' last='Walser'] had the respect of every coach in the Southern Lakes Conference as a junior when he earned second-team all-league honors. But even with Walser in the lineup, Badger finished below .500 a year ago. Well, the Badgers have turned the tables under first-year coach Braeden Tice. Badger would double its league victory total of last season with wins over Beloit Memorial and Elkhorn this week. Walser is having a huge senior season, averaging 25.2 points and 8.4 rebounds. But the Badgers also are getting big production from senior [player_tooltip player_id='2415164' first='Brody' last='Skates'] (15.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg) and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='3426360' first='Weston' last='Jooss'] (11.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg). Badger sits at 15-7 overall and 8-4 in league play after being projected to finish fifth in Southern Lakes.<br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/oregon/">Oregon</a></strong> -- With the loss of [player_tooltip player_id='3021625' first='Vaughn' last='Karvala'], an Indiana recruit who had been the state's top-ranked class of 2026 prospect prior to leaving for Bella Vista Prep in Arizona, most expected Oregon to finish in the second division of the Badger Large Conference. But coach Chris Siebert's squad has rallied to put together a very impressive season after losing seven of its first 10 games. Since that time, the Panthers are 11-2 to move into second place in the league standings. Senior Braydon Hermsdorf has had a very strong season after missing the last two years with an injury. The muscular Hermsdorf is averaging 16.2 ppg and 9.0 rpg while classmate [player_tooltip player_id='2482011' first='Brady' last='Hook'] is contributing 11.7 ppg. The Panthers take a 14-9 record into their regular-season finale at Monona Grove.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->