Why Wisconsin Basketball could sign its biggest transfer portal haul ever in 2026.
set to enter the transfer portal when it opens on April 7, Wisconsin's roster for 2026-27 is slowly taking shape.given their lack of playing time across two seasons and obscure paths to significant roles.
Neither was given much of a chance to develop in two years, and neither flashed any sustained potential that makes their departure hard to swallow. With the bottom of the Badgers' rotation trimmed, and the two most obvious portal entries having declared, Wisconsin's roster now stands at 10 players ahead of the monumental respective decisions of juniors John Blackwell and Nolan Winter.Of course, the impending decisions of Blackwell and Winter loom large. They'll determine not just how active the Badgers are in the portal, but their entire portal strategy. If Blackwell departs, it's all hands on deck in the backcourt. If he stays, Wisconsin has some breathing room and some positional flexibility with Blackwell's experience taking the ball up the court in 2024-25. If Winter departs, Wisonsin must assess how much it trusts its three returning forwards in Austin Rapp, Aleksas Bieliauskas and Will Garlock. Do the Badgers target a starter-level player for their frontcourt, or look for a potential journyman backup? Even if both Blackwell and Winter elect to run it back in Madison — which seems like a less likely outcome but still entirely plausible — Wisconsin has five spots to fill on its roster.with Temple transfer Elijah Grey before the season began. But at the very least, Wisconsin is poised to sign five transfers, and that number could swell to six or even seven depending on the decisions of its two star juniors. Last season, Gard and company signed five transfers, four of whom ultimately made the team. All wound up being crucial members of the rotation.Greg Gard has had plenty of success in the portal, but Nick Boyd could be his best signing yet. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn ImagesWith at least five and as many as seven roster spots open, 2026 is set to be another hectic year for Wisconsin Basketball in the transfer portal. Buckle up.Badgers ON SI lead editor Seamus Rohrer hails from Brooklyn, NY and is a University of Wisconsin J-School grad. He's covered the Badgers since 2020 for outlets including BadgerBlitz, The Daily Cardinal and BadgerNotes.
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