An enormous piece of Wisconsin basketball's offseason roster puzzle was locked in when rising junior forward Austin Rapp, a sharpshooting Australian with two years of eligibility remaining, announced his return to Madison .
The forward's intentions to return to the Badgers were as clear as day, but anything can happen in the modern transfer portal free agency frenzy. Even though Rapp's return was foretold , it's still a massive retention for Wisconsin.
With Rapp officially back in the fold, what's next for head coach Greg Gard and company?
Wisconsin's roster and depth chart for the 2026-27 season got a lot clearer with Rapp's return locked in. At the moment, the Badgers' starting five looks like this:
| Point Guard |
Shooting Guard |
Small Forward |
Power Forward |
Center |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owen Foxwell |
(Incoming Transfer) |
(Incoming Transfer) |
Austin Rapp |
Nolan Winter |
Thus, it's pretty clear what Wisconsin's primary objective should be at this point: landing guards and wings with skillsets that compliment Foxwell, Rapp and Winter.
Foxwell is a savvy, veteran point guard who takes an old-school approach to the position: he's a great passer with good handles and excellent touch on floaters and runners around the rim. The Australian knows how to set up his teammates and facilitate an offense. That's a great start.
Winter, meanwhile, is a stretch big who has good length but not necessarily size. He's the antithesis of the old-school, back-to-the-basket big man: Winter lets it fly from deep and provides excellent spacing with his floor-stretching ability.
Finally, Rapp is also a floor-stretching big who can get scorching hot from distance. He needs to work on his paint presence and physicality, because at 6-foot-10, he has the size to be a problem down low. But lots of Rapp's game takes place on the perimeter.
As a result of the modernization of Wisconsin's offense, there are several pre-requisites incoming players must possess. Can't shoot the three? Good luck sticking around in Madison. Slow getting up and down the court? This is now a high-tempo offense that likes to run.
But what additional skills do the Badgers need to target? Two big ones come to mind.
In the final five games of the 2025-26 season, Rapp shot 41 percent from deep on 7.4 attempts per game. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Wisconsin needs guards and wings who can drive to the hoop, put pressure on the rim and create opportunities for themselves and others.
Foxwell fits that description to an extent, as he can certainly put the ball on the deck. But the Badgers need slashing from other guards and wings, players who can get into the lane and either finish at the rim or create open shots when the defense collapses on them.
Wisconsin has largely had to rely on the transfer portal for that in recent years (Nick Boyd, AJ Storr, John Tonje), and that should be the case once again. Assuming they both stick around, I'd expect Hayden Jones and Zach Kinziger's roles to expand on offense, but that kind of slashing and athleticism isn't the first skill that comes to mind for either of them. That's why the Badgers need to address that in portal.
Wisconsin also needs defense from its backcourt. Winter and Rapp are both solid in that department but nothing special. Foxwell can rip a pocket or two, but he's not especially known for his defense. The Badgers need to target longer, lanky guards and wings who can switch off ball screens fluidly and play solid on-ball defense.
In case this wasn't already clear, the Badgers aren't landing any big-time, name-brand transfers. When incoming transfers begin to trickle in, don't get caught up on the name on the front or back of the jersey. Instead, evaluate what skills Wisconsin is getting, and how they fit with what it already has.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/wisconsin as Wisconsin Basketball's Biggest Remaining Needs With Austin Rapp Re-Signed .
