The Wisconsin Badgers have some work to do if they want to keep their recent run of NCAA Tournament appearances alive. They have made the last three tournaments primarily because of their work in the transfer portal. They had to use it big time again in the offseason, as John Blackwell transferred to Duke. They do have two players back who have spent three years or more in Madison: Jack Janicki and Nolan Winter.
Head Coach Greg Gard may have the Badgers back in NCAA Tournament form, but they have not reached the Sweet 16 since 2017. Gard was still an assistant coach during the last time Wisconsin reached the Elite Eight in 2015.
Injured Wisconsin forward Nolan Winter, left, talks with injured guard Jack Janicki before the second half of their third-round game of the Big Ten tournament Thursday, March 12, 2026, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Wisconsin beat Washington 85-82. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Wisconsin Badgers Roster Make-Up
Winter returns after a productive junior season, averaging 13.1 points and 8.5 rebounds. He appears ready to develop into the type of big man Wisconsin has long built its program around. He has taken the right steps to align with all-time greats such as Frank Kaminsky. Janicki is another significant returner, despite his modest scoring output in his first two seasons. Braeden Carrington is another major piece the Badgers have returning, as he will play a sixth season of college basketball.
Austin Rapp is another big who has a chance to take the next step this season. He will also have new teammates from the portal, as Trey Autry joins after three seasons at George Washington. He should fill the Blackwell role well. Eian Elmer joins Wisconsin after an All-MAC season in 2025-26. Victory Onuetu is the other big portal addition, bringing his six-foot-eleven, 238-pound frame from Hofstra.
The Badgers will showcase Australian skill with three of their incoming newcomers coming from the Land Down Under.
Returners: Janicki, Hayden Jones, Winter, Will Garlock, Rapp, Zach Kinziger, and Carrington.
Newcomers: Autry, Josh Manchester, Oneutu, Owen Foxwell, Elmer, Isaac Riddle, LaTrevion Fenderson, and Jackson Ball.
Schedule Outlook
The Badgers open the season on November 2nd when the Denver Pioneers visit. They get three more home games at the Kohl Center before they head to the Bahamas for the 2026 Baha Mar Championship. Wisconsin’s first game will be against the Seton Hall Pirates from the Big East. It will be followed by either a game against NC State or Murray State.
The schedule continues with Northeastern visiting Madison for the final game of November. The early Big Ten slate for the Badgers includes a road visit to Northwestern, along with a home clash with Purdue. In the middle is a neutral-site tilt with in-state rival Marquette at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. Those games are quickly followed by two more neutral-site games with Villanova in Philadelphia and Auburn in Nashville. Purdue Fort Wayne and Colorado State finish up the non-conference schedule for Wisconsin.
The rest of the Big Ten will be interesting as Wisconsin gets the current favorite to win the Big Ten to kick off the 2027 part of the schedule. Yes, the Illinois Fighting Illini visit Madison before a road visit to Iowa. The California road trip comes early for the Badgers, at USC and UCLA in mid-January. Wisconsin was the only Big Ten game Michigan lost last season, and now the rematch will be in Madison this year.
It will be a tough final stretch for Wisconsin, as they have to visit Illinois and Michigan State during two of their final three games.
The Last Word On Wisconsin Basketball
The Wisconsin Badgers have not won the Big Ten since 2022, but they have certainly been in the hunt for a top-four spot each of the last three years, and have more often than not just missed it. Wisconsin needs to find a way back into the top four in the Big Ten, because when it has, it has resulted in consistent NCAA Tournament success. As mentioned before, the Badgers have not gotten past the Round of 32 since the 2016-17 season, and that was just the second year under Coach Gard.
It feels like this season the Wisconsin Badgers have something to prove.
Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images
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