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Wisconsin Men’s Basketball: How Did the Badgers Depth Get So Thin?

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Wisconsin men's basketball-Greg Gard
Jan 25, 2023; College Park, Maryland, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard looks onto the court during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Madison, Wis. — It’s no secret that Greg Gard and the Wisconsin men’s basketball program have had their fair share of struggles in 2022-23.

Part of those struggles come from UW’s inconsistent offense, which ranks No. 111 in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency. 

The defending Big Ten regular season champion Badgers have no elite strengths that set them apart from the pack and have played with a razor-thin margin for error all season long as a result. 

There are no two ways about it; Wisconsin has some serious warts, and there aren’t many shot creators who can get to the charity stripe to offset a poor shooting night.

That said, three weeks ago, Wisconsin men’s basketball was off to a 3-0 start in conference play and ranked No. 14 in the nation. Then Tyler Wahl and Max Klesmit got hurt, and things began to spiral. 

With all starters being healthy, UW is 12-3 and 0-5 when missing one. Pretty stark contrast.

The Badgers clearly need all hands on deck to play competitive basketball in the Big Ten. Unless this team is fully healthy, they will continue struggling because they don’t have the depth to overcome anyone significant missing time.

I’m not particularly eager to make excuses because having depth is essential and falls squarely on Greg Gard’s lap. But let us not pretend it’s been a shitshow all season.

BadgerNotes explores the lack of depth and how we got here just one season after claiming a Big Ten regular season crown. 

Johnny Davis Going League

One conveniently overlooked part the “Greg Gard can’t recruit” crowd tends to ignore is that he helped develop Johnny Davis into an NBA lottery pick after just two seasons with the Wisconsin men’s basketball program. 

Davis, a Lacrosse, Wisconsin native, was the Big Ten Player of the Year, Lute Olson National Player of the Year, and a consensus first-team All-American last season, averaging 19.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.2 steals. In other words, he’s tough to replace. 

For a recruit and develop program like UW, losing a player of Davis’ caliber after his sophomore season is significant. And while Davis becoming the 10th overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards is a huge selling point for the program, it left an unfillable void. 

The 6-foot-5 guard became the first player selected from the Wisconsin men’s basketball program since 2015, ending a seven-year drought.

The rarity illustrates just how rare and difficult it can be to plan for losing a star player at UW. Johnny was so damn good he broke the schedule. 

Transfers Out 

Everything comes back to the Wisconsin men’s basketball program being a recruit and develop-centric team. 

This past offseason, UW lost Ben Carlson and Lorne Bowman from its 2020 recruiting class to the transfer portal. Both were members of Greg Gard’s rotation last year and would have been key pieces this season, + clear upgrades over the likes of Carter Gilmore and Kamari McGee. 

Additionally, the Badgers lost forward Matthew Mors, a highly-regarded member of the 2021 recruiting cycle who redshirted last season and would have been another player vying for time. 

Depth across college basketball is down; any coach will tell you this, and it’s because the transfer portal makes it tougher to hold onto your home-grown players and develop them into meaningful contributors. 

It’s become common for players to test the waters at the first sign of adversity to see if the grass is greener on the other side. Remember, Greg Gard spends years recruiting these players, so when one leaves, it’s often a more significant blow than people realize. 

Wisconsin Men’s Basketball is a Tough Sell in Transfer Portal 

Finding a player like Chris Vogt in the transfer portal last season may have been an anomaly for Wisconsin men’s basketball. Multi-year veterans with experience, willing to come in and play a role off the bench to play high-major basketball, don’t grow on trees. 

Greg Gard learned this the hard way. With so many of his core pieces returning (Chucky Hepburn, Tyler Wahl, Steven Crowl), coach Gard and his staff went portaling with little to offer outside of a starting spot at the two, which landed them Max Klesmit. 

Beyond that, you’re hoping players searching for more prominent roles would consider tossing those hopes aside in favor of a backup spot with little to no hopes of earning more playing time behind UW’s established options.

That’s why UW pursued point guard Kamari McGee from UW-Green Bay. Although he wasn’t a Big Ten caliber player, he was willing to put aside individual aspirations in order to play Power 5 basketball for his home state. And while that addition hasn’t paid any dividends yet, McGee was brought in as a long-term solution at backup PG and has ample time to develop into someone capable of running the second unit behind Chucky Hepburn.

Playing style is also an issue for many transfer portal targets. Still, Wisconsin men’s basketball doesn’t prefer building its core through the transfer portal, so finding niche additions can be challenging. 


Contact/Follow us @Badger_Notes on Twitter, Subscribe to the BadgerNotes Newsletter here, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

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Wisconsin Basketball Recruiting Roundup: Frontcourt Transfer Portal Targets

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Wisconsin Basketball
Oct 12, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, US; Wisconsin Badgers men's head coach Greg Gard speaks to the media during the Big Ten Basketball Media Days at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Madison, Wis. — Greg Gard and the Wisconsin basketball program have been active in the early stages of the offseason, reaching out to numerous transfer options, particularly in the frontcourt.

Wisconsin had a severe lack of depth among post options in 2022-23 following the departures of Chris Vogt (graduation) and Ben Carlson + Matthew Mors (transfers).

Unable to land a viable option in the portal last offseason, the Badgers were forced to make do with former walk-on Carter Gilmore as its top forward off the bench and unproven options like Markus Ilver and Chris Hodges to fill in whenever necessary.

Senior forward Tyler Wahl has yet to decide if he’ll exercise his COVID year and return for a fifth season in Madison (I think he will), which could leave the cupboards awfully thin if he chooses to pursue a pro career.

With the roster lacking any proven options behind him, there is a significant need to bring in at least one experienced frontcourt option that can immediately slot into minutes for the Wisconsin basketball program.

Here is an early list of some notable players Wisconsin has contacted this offseason.

Payton Sparks (6-foot-9 forward; Ball State)

National Basketball Recruiting Analyst Dushawn London from 247Sports, reported that Wisconsin was one of the teams that inquired about Ball State center Payton Sparks, who recently entered the transfer portal. 

Notre Dame, Arkansas, Florida, Butler, Ohio State, and others are involved. 

The 6-foot-9, 240-pound center was an All-Mid-American Conference Second Team member this past season, averaging 13.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists on 58% shooting from the field. 

Sparks started all 31 games he appeared in for the Cardinals this past season and will have two years of eligibility remaining.

John Hugley (6-foot-9 forward; Pittsburgh)

Perhaps the most notable frontcourt target of the Wisconsin basketball program, Pittsburgh transfer forward John Hugley, who Joe Tipton of On3Sports reported the Badgers expressed interest in. 

UW, Michigan, Oregon, Miami, Rutgers, Xavier, Arkansas, LSU, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Maryland, Nebraska, Butler, Georgia, and several others are also involved.

The 6-foot-9, 265-pound forward played eight games this past season before deciding to sit out the remainder of the season to focus on his mental health. 

In 2021-22 however, he led the Panthers in scoring, averaging 14.8 points per game and 7.9 rebounds on 47.1% shooting en route to All-ACC honorable mention honors.

Hugley has up to three years of eligibility remaining.

Dame Adelekun (6-foot-8 forward; Dartmouth)

The first frontcourt player Wisconsin basketball reached out to was Dartmouth forward Dame Adelekun, according to a report from Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers. 

Arkansas, Ohio State, Wichita State, Boise State, Clemson, Arkansas, Seton Hall, Maryland, Vanderbilt, Rhode Island, Seton Hall, Loyola Chicago, and several others are also in the mix. 

The 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward averaged 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 blocks, and 1.0 steals on 56.3% shooting from the field this past season. 

Adelekun has up to two years of eligibility remaining. 


Contact/Follow us @Badger_Notes on Twitter, Subscribe to the BadgerNotes Newsletter here, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

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Wisconsin Men’s Basketball Connected to Ball State Transfer

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Wisconsin Men's Basketball target Payton Sparks.
Ball State men's basketball sophomore center Payton Sparks smirks after turning over the ball during a game against Indiana University South Bend at Worthen Arena Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. Ball State won 86-72

Madison, Wis. — Greg Gard and the Wisconsin men’s basketball coaching staff have recently checked in on a MAC big man that entered the transfer portal. 

Earlier this week, National Basketball Recruiting Analyst Dushawn London from 247Sports, reported that Wisconsin was one of the teams that inquired about Ball State center Payton Sparks.

“It has always been a dream of mine to play at the highest level of college basketball,” Sparks said in the Twitter post. “With that being said, I feel like it’s in my best interest to chase my dream and enter the transfer portal. There will always be a place in my heart that is Ball State!”

Along with UW, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Utah, Oklahoma, Seton Hall, Dayton, Arkansas, Iowa State, Loyola Chicago, Florida, Butler, LSU, Georgetown, Ohio State, and several other schools expressed interest in Sparks. 

The 6-foot-9, 240-pound center was an All-Mid-American Conference Second Team member this past season, averaging 13.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists on 58% shooting from the field. 

Sparks started all 31 games he appeared in for the Cardinals this past season and will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Why Payton Sparks Makes Sense for Wisconsin Men’s Basketball 

Dating back to the last offseason, Wisconsin men’s basketball had a clear need in its frontcourt following the departures of Chris Vogt (graduation) and Ben Carlson + Matthew Mors (transfer). 

However, UW never found a good fit in the portal and instead relied on former walk-on Carter Gilmore as his backup “big man” and unproven options like Markus Ilver and Chris Hodges. 

Coach Gard has already made it abundantly clear that he knows what his team needs and intends to fix this glaring hole going into 2023-24. 

I expect the Badgers to be heavy players in the portal as they pursue options to improve their front-court. 


Contact/Follow us @Badger_Notes on Twitter, Subscribe to the BadgerNotes Newsletter here, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

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Wisconsin Basketball in Contact with 2023 Recruit, New Transfer Target, More

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Wisconsin Basketball
Dec 14, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers cheerleaders fly the banners across the court before the game with the Green Bay Phoenix at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin defeated Green Bay 73-59. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been a busy week for the Wisconsin basketball program, ladies and gents, but fear not because BadgerNotes can help get you back up to speed with a roundup of some important news you may have missed.

Wisconsin Badgers Continuing to Keep Tabs on 2023 Forward  

Greg Gard and the Wisconsin men’s basketball program might be open to a late addition in the 2023 recruiting class.

After de-committing from Notre Dame in late January, top 150 prospect Brady Dunlap is back on the market, and Wisconsin is one of the schools that expressed interest in the sharpshooting forward, along with Villanova, Seton Hall, Oregon, UCLA, TCU, Saint Mary’s, and Butler. 

Arguably the top unsigned prospect in his class, Dunlap is the No. 147 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class and the No. 22 player in California, according to the 247Sports composite.

Although the Badgers would seem to have no available scholarships, already holding commitments from four-star big man Gus Yalden and three-star prospects Nolan Winter and John Blackwell, a source indicated that Wisconsin has been enamored with Dunlap for quite some time and felt the need to kick the tires. 

With plenty of roster changes expected to occur once the season concludes, it’ll be interesting to see if UW tries to make a real run at a talented late addition to its class. 

Wisconsin Men’s Basketball Showing Interest in AAC Transfer Guard 

Speaking of players that Greg Gard and the Wisconsin basketball coaching staff have been in contact with, add a high-scoring combo guard from the AAC into the mix. 

Last week, Joe Tipton of On3Sports reported that Wisconsin was among the teams that expressed interest in Temlple transfer guard Khalif Battle. 

Along with UW, there is plenty of suitors for Battle because Villanova, Arkansas, Arizona, Ohio State, Memphis, Florida, USC, UCLA, and several other schools have also reached out. 

The 6-foot-5, 175-pound guard appeared in 27 games, starting eight, and led the Owls in scoring, averaging 17.9 points per game and 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.0 steals on 41% shooting from the field. 

The former four-star recruit has up to two years of eligibility remaining.

Other Wisconsin Basketball News

Well, it finally happened; St. Thomas leading-scorer, freshman guard Andrew Rohde has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. 

The Milwaukee native averaged 17.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists this season en route to becoming the Summit League Freshman of the Year. 

There were rumblings throughout the season that Greg Gard and company would make Rohde a high priority if he became available — and now that he is, Wisconsin will undoubtedly make a serious play for his services.

Rohde would fill an immediate long/short-term need within the Wisconsin basketball program as a wing with the ideal size to play the “3” that can score the rock and has three years of eligibility remaining.


Contact/Follow us @Badger_Notes on Twitter, Subscribe to the BadgerNotes Newsletter here, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

Join the Badger Notes watch party and stream Wisconsin Badgers games by following this link.

*Subscribe to Locked on Badgers on Youtube and wherever you find podcasts, the only daily Wisconsin Badgers podcast on the internet.

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