The University of Wisconsin-Madison Badgers came into the 2025-26 season off the back of a Big Ten Championship appearance and the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. But this season, without the help of star guard John Tonje, fifth-year vet Steven Crowl, or the well-rounded abilities of Kamari McGee, Max Klesmit and Carter Gilmore, the Badgers were supposed to struggle.
The media agreed, as a preseason media poll ranked Wisconsin as low as seventh in the Big Ten, and junior guard John Blackwell found himself the lone Badger on preseason watchlists for national awards.
After losing a large part of their roster — and their experience — the Badgers turned to two juniors who had big roles on the team last season. Blackwell and fellow junior Nolan Winter started all 37 of Wisconsin’s games last season, and Winter even led the team in field goal percentage and rebounds while Blackwell came second in total points.
Both players were expected to make a big jump this season, and even featured inside the top 80 prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft.
“Winter and Blackwell are poised for breakout, really, really good years,” head coach Greg Gard said preseason.
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But, the Badgers and Gard could not rely solely on the leadership and experience of the junior pair, and used the transfer portal to complete their lineup.
Seniors Andrew Rohde, Braeden Carrington and Nick Boyd, alongside sophomore big Austin Rapp found their way to Madison through the portal to round out the Badgers’ roster.
Rohde, a Brookfield, Wis. native, started his collegiate career at St. Thomas. He averaged 17.1 points through his freshman year, scoring 23 points in the semifinals of the Summit League tournament.
He transferred to Virginia for his sophomore and junior seasons, helping the team to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament and the First Four of the NCAA tournament.
Carrington played his first two seasons at Wisconsin’s rival, Minnesota, where he scored 11 points against Wisconsin in a four-point loss for the Golden Gophers. His sophomore year, Minnesota improved, and Carrington helped the team to the NIT Second Round.
His junior season saw him earn more minutes for the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes, where he averaged career highs in points, rebounds, blocks and steals.
So far this season for the Badgers, Carrington has been the leading scorer off the bench, averaging 6.6 points and leading the team in three-point percentage (five+ attempts) at 46%.
Boyd has enjoyed an illustrious career, and his fifth and final season does not look to be any different. He spent his first four seasons at FAU, where he helped lead the team to the Final Four as a redshirt sophomore, scoring 12 points in a loss to the San Diego State Aztecs.
He would eventually join the Aztecs for his senior season, where he led the team in scoring with 13.4 points and came one game short of making March Madness, losing in the First Four.
Rapp comes to Madison as the youngest transfer, after playing his freshman year at Portland. He averaged 13.8 points and earned West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year.
Rapp has continued his prolific scoring into this season, scoring 10 or more points in four games this season. He’s also a team player, ranking third on the roster this season in assists with 13, and his 6-foot-10 stature has helped him lead the team in blocks with 10.
So far this season, the team has meshed well, as the Badgers cruised through their first four home games against Campbell, Northern Illinois, Ball State and SIUE.
The team has also dominated the stat sheet, as Boyd currently averages 21 points per game, while Blackwell averages 19 and Winter averages a double-double of 13.3 points and 10.1 rebounds.
The biggest hiccup so far this season? A crushing defeat against BYU in a rematch of last season’s March Madness Second Round matchup.
The Cougars added even more talent this offseason, and it showed, as freshman AJ Dybantsa, an NBA lottery-pick prospect, scored 18 points and grabbed six rebounds. They also returned last season’s leading scorer, Richie Saunders, who scored 26 points.
The Badgers did not have time to focus on their shortcomings, however, as they traveled to San Diego, Calif. for the Rady Children’s Invitational, where they bounced back against Providence but failed to make a comeback in the championship game against TCU.
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Following the tournament, the Badgers have returned home and wait to begin Big Ten play against Northwestern, who have played close matchups against Depaul, Virginia, South Carolina and Oklahoma State, winning two out of four of those games.
Northwestern came into the 2025-26 season looking to improve on last season’s record, which saw them earn the No. 13 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, losing in the second round to none other than Wisconsin.
The schedule does not get any easier for the Badgers following Northwestern, as they host in-state rivals Marquette for their annual head-to-head meeting. The Golden Golden Eagles currently hold a victory over the Badgers after last season’s 88-74 win, but Wisconsin have not lost to Marquette at home since the 2017-18 season.
If the Badgers want to repeat the success of last season, and even build upon it, it will require a team effort. Consistent scoring and stalwart defense from the bigs prove a lethal combo for any team in the nation, and if the Badgers want to be successful this season, they have got to prove themselves early on in these big-name matchups.