NFL
By: Melo Williams
It’s Time For Badgers Basketball!
The #24 Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team opens up their 2025-2026 season with head coach Greg Gard in his 11th season leading the Badgers.
After last season ended, with the graduation of players and the transfer portal, Greg Gard and his coaching staff had another daunting task of rebuilding their roster again through both recruiting and the transfer portal.
After a good few months of evaluating the team from practice through the 2 exhibition games, I think Greg Gard and the coaching staff did a great job of finding the right players building the roster, and they’ll surprise a lot of people in the college basketball world making a run for the Big Ten conference, and a potential deep run in March Madness.
OVERVIEW
Wisconsin will again be one of the best scoring and 3 point shooting teams not only in the Big Ten but in the country. The Badgers has shown the last three seasons that they now play at a faster pace, shoot a lot of threes, and score well in transition.
-John Blackwell was named to the Jerry West Preseason Watchlist by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, an award given to the best shooting guard in college basketball. Blackwell will be the number one scoring option this season for Wisconsin and he’s up and ready for the challenge. This season, Blackwell will average around 18-20 points per game
Last season, Blackwell averaged 15.8 points per game earning All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors, collected 2025 Big Ten All-Tournament Team honors after leading UW to the Big Ten title game.
-Nolan Winter I believe is the key pivotal player for Wisconsin to have the success this season that the team is capable of having. Greg Gard has always talked about Winter being more mean and aggressive consitently. When Winter has shown the nasty aggressive flashes, he’s been almost unstoppable. In the final preseason exhibition game against UW-Platteville, Winter finished with 17 points and 15 rebounds. If the Badgers get that type of play consistently from Winter, Wisconsin will make a deep run in the national tournament.
Winter sophomore season, he started all 37 games averaging 9.5 points per game, 5.8 rebounds per game, and led the Big Ten in 2-point percentage, with 71.5%. This season, he should up his scoring to 15 points per game and rebounding up to 8-10 rebounds per game.
-Austin Rapp will be very pivotal for Wisconsin success as well. Rapp can score from the inside and outside. Rapp stretches out defenses because of his ability to shoot the three point shot at a high level and is a solid passer who has the ability to make plays in the flow of the offense. Wisconsin will need Rapp to commit to playing defense and rebounding.
-I really like Andrew Rohde. He has the ability to positively impact the game on both offense and defense. Offensively, Rohde has a strong ability to run the point and is good at scoring playing off the ball. A 3-level scorer that can knock down the 3 point shot as well. Defensively, Rohde can guard the 1-3 and has shown a commitment to defend.
-Nick Boyd will be dynamic in the offense and for the offense. Boyd is a quick fast lightning guard who can get baseline to baseline very fast, pushes the ball in transition well, and is lights out in pick-and-roll basketball. He has great court vision, an elite passer, and creates great spacing when he’s scoring whether its off the dribble or a blow by lay up. Defensively, he’ll create a lot of on-ball pressure on opposing guards forcing turnovers.
-Will Garlock gives Wisconsin height and depth in the front court. Garlock, a traditional back to the basket big man that scores well in the paint, finishes strong at the rim playing above the rim, and plays well in pick and roll/pop basketball.
Defensively, Garlock can dominate on the glass and need to be a solid rim protector. Garlock has potential to be one of the best bigs in the B1G in the future as a double-double rim protecting machine.
-Braeden Carrington is the player for the Badgers, I believe is flying under the radar going Into the season. Carrington gives the Badgers offense another ball handler, scorer and defender in the backcourt.
-Aleksas Bieliauskas, a 6-9 forward from Kaunas, Lithuania is key for Wisconsin defensively and rebounding. Bieliauskas has a great fundamental skill set that allows Wisconsin to run a lot of motion offense because of his ability to set screens and pass the ball.
-Hayden Jones and Zach Kinziger can be special for Wisconsin. Monitor their play this season.
-Jack Janicki, Riccardo Greppi, Jack Robison, and Isaac Gard give Wisconsin extra depth with size and shooting.
2025-2026 Season Starting Lineup:
Nick Boyd-G
John Blackwell-G
Andrew Rohde-G
Austin Rapp-F
Nolan Winter-F
Reserves:
Jack Janicki-G
Braeden Carrington-G
Hayden Jones-G
Zach Kinziger-G
Isaac Gard-G
Aleksas Bieliauskas-F
Will Garlock-F
Riccardo Greppi-F
Jack Robison-F
SEASON OUTLOOK:
I predict Wisconsin to finish 6th overall in the Big Ten and a 5-7 seed in the national tournament.
WATCH TONIGHTS GAME
vs Campbell
⏰7 PM
?Kohl Center
?B1G+
https://linktr.ee/badgermbb
November Games Schedule
*Campbell Nov 3- 7:00 PM
*Northern Illinois Nov 7- 7:30 PM
*Ball State Nov 11- 7:30 PM
*SIUE Nov 17- 7:00 PM
*BYU Nov 21- 3:00 PM @Salt Lake City
*Providence Nov 27- 4:30 PM @Jenny Craig Pavilion-San Diego
*TCU or Florida Nov28- 2 PM/4:30 PM
2025-2026 Game Schedule
*https://uwbadgers.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule
*Read Articles
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