Wisconsin Basketball Roster Holds Pieces to Be a 'Really Good Team'

The Badgers head coach is optimistic about his team entering 2024-25.

In what can only be described as a whirlwind offseason for Greg Gard and the Wisconsin basketball program, the Badgers found a way to navigate the turbulent NIL and transfer portal waters while coming out the other side looking like they have the pieces needed to contend.

"It [the landscape] has changed more in the last three years than it has probably in the last 30 combined in terms of just, you know, NIL, roster management, transfer portal," Gard said. "All those things have completely tipped how we typically operate year to year upside down."

This offseason was all about filling some big shoes for the Badgers, with Chucky Hepburn and AJ Storr hitting the transfer portal and Tyler Wahl exhausting his eligibility at Wisconsin after five seasons.

To address those roles, Coach Gard and his staff waited out the initial feeding frenzy of the transfer portal, eventually landing several seasoned players from lower levels who fit the Badgers' offensive direction. This approach also enabled Wisconsin to be more fiscally responsible.

"As you look at the new roster, I'm excited, we bring in three experienced players and a fourth coming in that's played at a really, really high level," Gard said enthusiastically. "I'm excited to have these guys here in June, July, in the first part of August, because these guys are coming in with a lot of experience and are really talented players on paper."