What comes next for Wisconsin basketball after its NCAA Tournament exit?

Wisconsin basketball faces several key offseason questions after a 27-win season. Who’s back, what’s needed, and what’s next for Greg Gard?

Photo courtesy of UW Athletics.

You don’t often see this at the high-major level: a veteran head coach absorbing criticism, making real adjustments, and evolving without losing the identity of his college basketball program. But Greg Gard has done just that with the Badgers.

He’s not married to a system for tradition’s sake. He’s changed the style. He’s changed the approach. And in the process, Gard's made Wisconsin a program that players want to play for—even in the era of NIL, constant player movement, and one-and-done evaluations. That’s no small feat.

Now, the real question: Can Gard do it again?

The Badgers are coming off their most entertaining season in nearly a decade. They went 27–10, reached the Big Ten Tournament championship game for the second straight year, and earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament before falling to BYU in the Round of 32.

“We had to evolve,” Gard told reporters. “We’ve evolved off the court. Obviously, everything has changed with the portal and NIL. And we’ve also evolved on the court. We’ve shifted kind of and changed how we played, but at the same time, not forgetting and not de-emphasizing the pillars of success that we’ve had over the years—being fundamentally sound, being tough, and being good defensively.

“I think those are the keys for trying to win in the Big Ten consistently year in and year out, and then evolving as the game has changed. It’s become more of a three-point, transition, analytic-driven game."

But they’re about to lose a whole lot.

Gone are six players—three starters and five major contributors—including John Tonje, Steven Crowl, Max Klesmit, Kamari McGee, Carter Gilmore, and Markus Ilver. That group accounted for over 62% of Wisconsin’s total minutes, 67% of its scoring, 50% of its rebounds, and more than two-thirds of its assists and made 3’s.

In total, here’s what’s walking out the door for Wisconsin: 4,527 minutes, 1,562 points, 668 rebounds, 362 assists, 116 steals, and 46 blocks. That averages out to 122.3 minutes, 48.0 points, 18.1 rebounds, 9.8 assists, 3.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game—production that simply can't be ignored.

That’s not a hole. That’s a crater. So yes—Gard has work to do. But here’s the encouraging part for Wisconsin: the two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year has done it before. And odds are, he’ll do it again.

After sending Johnny Davis to the NBA as a lottery pick, Wisconsin had a bit of a gap year at the wing in 2022–23. But since then, the Badgers have hit in back-to-back transfer cycles with A.J. Storr and John Tonje—proving this coaching staff can identify and land players who not only fit the system, but flourish in it.

Storr became a Second-Team All-Big Ten selection, and Tonje followed with a Second-Team All-American season.

It's also shown that Wisconsin can be an ideal landing spot for a guard or forward looking to play a featured scoring role in a Kirk Penney offense built around spacing, movement, and the green light to let it fly from beyond the arc.

They’ve also started recruiting the portal earlier, gotten more aggressive in their fundraising efforts for NIL, and tweaked the system to accommodate skillsets that attract higher-end talent.

This restructured staff has been proactive.

“I don’t do as much of [coaching] because there’s a lot of other things that go into the other hats I wear,” Gard acknowledged. “Obviously around the evolution of NIL and how that’s grown, our staff has really taken a fundraising approach to it and tried to really communicate the importance of it to our donors and our supporters, and educate them on it.

“You become more of a CEO than you do a coach. I probably do spend less time on out of bounds plays than I used to 10 years ago. But, you have to evolve and you have to embrace the change. And I think we’ve done a really good job of staying in our own way, staying on the cutting edge.”

This offseason, Gard and his staff are expected to be aggressive in the portal again. Expect at least three additions—likely a plug-and-play guard, a scoring wing with length, and an athletic, rim-running center that can alter shots.

They believe pairing someone with that profile next to Nolan Winter will not only help in transition but elevate John Blackwell’s game by giving him a running mate who can match his pace. Interior defense hasn’t exactly been a strength for Wisconsin, and they’d like to add someone who brings more than just positional size—a true presence who can protect the rim.

For all his upside, Winter is still better suited to play the four long-term. He will be asked to carry a heavier offensive load next season and step into a featured role, so keeping him at the four for most of his minutes—not asking him to anchor the paint alone—would be in everyone’s best interest. He’s made real strides defensively, but that’s still a big ask.

There’s also a gap to fill at the two. Wisconsin signed freshmen Hayden Jones and Zach Kinziger, but there’s no guarantee either is ready to start right away. Ideally, the Badgers land a proven shooter who can defend and slot into Klesmit’s role—a combo guard with some size who can be interchangeable with Blackwell in running the show.

But portal shopping only solves part of the equation. For the Badgers to keep trending up, they’ll need to retain the key pieces with eligibility left, see real internal development from the returning core—and pair that growth with experienced additions from the portal who can round out the rotation and see the floor right away for Coach Gard and his staff.

The staff is expecting to bring back John Blackwell, Nolan Winter, Jack Janicki, and Xavier Amos—but in the portal era, anything can happen at the drop of a hat.

All four showed flashes—and all four need to take the next step. Blackwell and Winter lead the way among returners with a PRPG (points above replacement per game) of 3.5, while Janicki and Amos came in at 0.5. That kind of disparity shows that plenty of development is still needed, especially from the latter two, if this group is going to form the foundation of a tournament-caliber rotation next year.

Janicki, the redshirt freshman walk-on turned rotation player, carved out a role this season—averaging 11 minutes, 1.9 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game with a 31:8 assist-to-turnover ratio. He had some big moments, especially offensively. But he shot just 28% from deep and will need to become more of a threat from beyond the arc to stay on the floor consistently. That said, there’s real optimism internally around Janicki.

Amos came to Wisconsin expecting to start but ended up serving as the ninth man in the rotation—averaging 3.5 points and 1.8 rebounds in just over nine minutes per game. The Northern Illinois transfer never quite found his rhythm as a shooter, but his length and athleticism still make him an intriguing piece. If Amos returns—and all signs point to that—his development will be a swing factor for this team in the frontcourt next season.

As for Blackwell and Winter, they’ll be the cornerstones of Wisconsin’s 2025–26 roster. Blackwell put up 15.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game in his first season as the team’s primary ball handler—and somehow only earned Big Ten Honorable Mention honors, which felt laughably low given his impact.

Winter chipped in 9.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists on 56.4% shooting—bringing floor spacing and athleticism to the frontcourt. However, both have clear areas for growth.

Blackwell’s three-point shooting took a step back—dropping from 46% as a freshman to 32% this season—which will need to improve if he’s going to take that next leap as a lead guard. Winter, on the other hand, showed real promise with his touch around the rim and ability to stretch the floor, but the next challenge is clear: become a stronger, more physical presence on the glass and in the paint. If the Badgers want to level up, their two young cornerstones have to do the same.

Then there’s the rest of the roster. Daniel Freitag, Riccardo Greppi, and Jack Robison, all members of the Badgers 2024 recruiting class, could push for bigger roles next season and are expected to remain with the basketball program.

There’s hope that a strong offseason could position one or two of them to crack the rotation. True freshmen Kinziger and Jones will also be in the mix. And Will Garlock, a 6-foot-11 big man from Middleton, brings tools Wisconsin needs—especially on the defensive end.

He’s raw but mobile and moves well laterally for his size. Garlock will be a nice developmental piece for this program to mold over the course of his career.

The truth? Nothing is guaranteed. Everyone’s a free agent these days. But Wisconsin seems to have a pretty good grasp on who’s staying and who’s moving on. More importantly, they’ve built an approach that feels modern.

The staff is highly focused on portal-ready players who can make an immediate impact—not long-term projects. The exception? In-state kids—and those from nearby pipelines like Minnesota—who are willing to grow, develop, and wait their turn. Those types tend to stick around, and in this era, that matters.

Wisconsin has also expanded its recruiting efforts overseas. While the approach is more transactional than high school recruiting, it often presents a more efficient use of resources—and can lead to finding talent that fits the culture.

It’s a Moneyball approach—find undervalued talent, plug holes with the available NIL resources, and develop the guys who are already in the program.

“You have to continue to evolve and continue to adapt and continue to grow. And at the same time, we know what works at the University of Wisconsin, and probably more importantly, we know what won’t work at Wisconsin," Gard explained.

“And that’s on the court, off the court, classroom, all those things are still important. We’ve just add a few more wagons to the train—so to speak.”

You won’t find another John Tonje just sitting in the portal. But if Gard can land the right mix of players to complement Blackwell and Winter—while continuing to build out this new offensive identity—there’s no reason to think that Wisconsin won’t be back in the mix again next March.

No, Gard hasn’t made a Sweet 16 run with a roster entirely made up of "his own recruits." But Bo Ryan didn't break through and make a Final Four—until he did. Just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it won’t. And after what Gard accomplished this past season, building a sustainable program, he’s more than proven he's the right man for the job.

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