The Wisconsin Badgers have some work to do to keep their recent run of NCAA Tournament berths going. They have made the last three tournaments primarily because of their work in the transfer portal. They had to use it big time once again, as John Blackwell transferred to Duke in the offseason. They do have two players back who have been in Madison for three years or more now. Those are Jack Janicki and Nolan Winter .
Head Coach Greg Gard might have the Badgers back in NCAA tournament form, but they haven't reached the Sweet 16 since 2017. Gard was still an assistant coach the last time they went to the Elite Eight in 2015.
Time will tell if the 2026-27 Wisconsin Badgers can get back to that level.
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
Winter returns after a productive junior season, where he averaged 13.1 points and 8.5 rebounds. He's starting to turn into the type of Big man that Wisconsin is long known for. He's made the right steps to being in line with Badgers all-time greats like Frank Kaminsky . Janicki is another big returner despite his low-point output in his first two seasons. Braeden Carrington is another massive piece Wisconsin has back, as he will play a sixth season of college ball.
Austin Rapp is another big that has a chance to take the next step this season. He will also have some new friends 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 as he brings 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 .
The Badgers open their 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. That will be followed up with either a game against NC State or Murray State.
The schedule rolls on with Northeastern also visiting Madison for the last game of November. The early Big Ten slate for the Badgers includes a road visit to Northwestern, along with a home clash with Purdue. Sprinkled 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 (Philadelphia) and Auburn (Nashville). Purdue Fort Wayne and Colorado State finish up the non-conference schedule for Wisconsin.
The rest of the Big Ten is going to be interesting as Wisconsin gets the current favorite to win the Big Ten to kick off the 2027 part of the schedule. Yep, the Illinois Fighting Illini visit Madison before a road visit to Iowa. The California road trip comes quite 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's going to be a tough final stretch for Wisconsin, as they have to visit Illinois and Michigan State during two of their final three games.
The Wisconsin Badgers haven't 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 to get 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 haven't 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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