Wisconsin Basketball 2025-26

[Jim French Stepstool]

And so it begins.........

A pretty entertaining exhibition in Milwaukee, UW falling 84-83 to an Oklahoma team that I would imagine will be a tourney participant. OU made 9 of their first 13 shots from deep, causing the Badgers to play from down 4-9 points for the lions' share of the game. They really picked up the defensive intensity late, which led to a brief 1-pt lead. Before that, some poor perimeter closeouts & just not enough consistent defense. Nolan Winter was stuffed early a couple times by the former Tosa West big Kai Rogers, and I don't know if that got in his head but he definitely needs to be more of a presence around the hoop, on both ends. Too long of a stretch where he seemed MIA.

Austin Rapp was impressive. 17 PTS, and is moving great w/o the ball. Definitely not the one-dimensional 3PT shooter I was afraid he may prove to be.

Looks for now at least like Bieliauskas is ahead of Garlock in the rotation, although both played. Bieliauskas hit a couple threes but frankly I'd be happier if he cleaned the boards, was a defensive presence & averaged about 2 PPG. Hopefully he'll get better in those areas. A Greg Gard team struggling early on the defensive end isn't a revelation, but Rapp isn't really a banger & Garlock is a freshman. Bieliauskas & Winter being a physical presence is kinda critical.

Once Nick Boyd settles in, he & Blackwell should be a fun combo to watch.

One more exhibition (Platteville) then it starts for real.

[RedStickBrew]

15 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

And so it begins.........

A pretty entertaining exhibition in Milwaukee, UW falling 84-83 to an Oklahoma team that I would imagine will be a tourney participant. OU made 9 of their first 13 shots from deep, causing the Badgers to play from down 4-9 points for the lions' share of the game. They really picked up the defensive intensity late, which led to a brief 1-pt lead. Before that, some poor perimeter closeouts & just not enough consistent defense. Nolan Winter was stuffed early a couple times by the former Tosa West big Kai Rogers, and I don't know if that got in his head but he definitely needs to be more of a presence around the hoop, on both ends. Too long of a stretch where he seemed MIA.

Austin Rapp was impressive. 17 PTS, and is moving great w/o the ball. Definitely not the one-dimensional 3PT shooter I was afraid he may prove to be.

Looks for now at least like Bieliauskas is ahead of Garlock in the rotation, although both played. Bieliauskas hit a couple threes but frankly I'd be happier if he cleaned the boards, was a defensive presence & averaged about 2 PPG. Hopefully he'll get better in those areas. A Greg Gard team struggling early on the defensive end isn't a revelation, but Rapp isn't really a banger & Garlock is a freshman. Bieliauskas & Winter being a physical presence is kinda critical.

Once Nick Boyd settles in, he & Blackwell should be a fun combo to watch.

One more exhibition (Platteville) then it starts for real.

Some offseason reporting suggested that the coaching staff stressed to Rapp that he needed to develop his interior game to complement his outside game. If he can be a complete player that really adds to the team. 
 

The starting 5 looks pretty set and solid. It will be interesting to see how the bench roles play out during the season. It should be another fun team to watch develop over the season

[Jim French Stepstool]

On 10/25/2025 at 10:51 AM, RedStickBrew said:

 

The starting 5 looks pretty set and solid. It will be interesting to see how the bench roles play out during the season. It should be another fun team to watch develop over the season

How Bieliauskas & Garlock develop over the season will be extremely important. Elijah Gray sat out the scrimmage w/what was reported as illness (he was on the bench), and was not present in Milwaukee for the exhibition game for 'personal reasons'. Pure speculation on my part but I can't help but think he's behind the other two for bench minutes, is in his last year & regrets coming to Madison. Hope I'm way off base.

One of the things I loved about last season was how Janicki & Kamari McGee could come off the bench & provide defensive energy. It kinda felt like Janicki & Braeden Carrington did that a little bit vs Oklahoma. And supposedly Janicki has upped his offensive game from last season; we'll see. But the versatility & depth in the backcourt looks pretty solid.

[Playing Catch]

I've got nothing to add.

It's been the same roster dance for a long while now, and remains the program's bugaboo, IMO. They can't seem to find B1G post defenders/rebounders that can take pressure off the more talented forwards.

Having two good forwards that can timeshare defensive post duties is fine when you've got Crowl and Winter, who are both 4/5s, IMO. But when Winter is a 4/5, and the next best post player (Rapp) is a 4 only, it puts tremendous pressure on the offense those players produce. Winter can protect the rim a little bit, and is mobile enough to be good at defending pick-and-roll, but he's gunna wear down having to rebound and bang with B1G 5s. Top-16 teams all have one or two big, strong athletes that they can rotate to do the dirty-work. I fear Winter and Rapp are just going to get worked dirty.

Bieliauskas seems another 4/5, with some development to go. I would be ecstatic if Garlock could be the banger, but I fear the development-curve will be too steep for him to meaningfully contribute in this role.

[Jim French Stepstool]

2 hours ago, Playing Catch said:

I've got nothing to add.

It's been the same roster dance for a long while now, and remains the program's bugaboo, IMO. They can't seem to find B1G post defenders/rebounders that can take pressure off the more talented forwards.

Having two good forwards that can timeshare defensive post duties is fine when you've got Crowl and Winter, who are both 4/5s, IMO. But when Winter is a 4/5, and the next best post player (Rapp) is a 4 only, it puts tremendous pressure on the offense those players produce. Winter can protect the rim a little bit, and is mobile enough to be good at defending pick-and-roll, but he's gunna wear down having to rebound and bang with B1G 5s. Top-16 teams all have one or two big, strong athletes that they can rotate to do the dirty-work. I fear Winter and Rapp are just going to get worked dirty.

Bieliauskas seems another 4/5, with some development to go. I would be ecstatic if Garlock could be the banger, but I fear the development-curve will be too steep for him to meaningfully contribute in this role.

Good breakdown. One of the more important things going into this season, is Winter going from filling the 4/5 role to replacing Crowl & being pretty much a straight 5. And as you said, you can't comfortably slide Rapp over to the 5 like you could with Winter last year. Interior D & board work is something that definitely needs to trend northward as the season unfolds. Makes you appreciate the size & experience of Crowl the last few years. Also Gilmore, who if he'd have been 6'9" might've been an all B10 1st or 2nd team defensive guy.

As was the case last year, they have guards who can rebound, which should help.

[Jim French Stepstool]

Elijah Gray has been dismissed from the team. The word is it has to do with something relative to before he came to Madison. The school is being tight-lipped about details, of course, as per privacy laws.

From what I've heard, Gray was behind both Bieliauskas & Garlock in the early practices, so this isn't crippling except to the extent that you'd like to have competition & guys pushing each other. Now, the only other true big remaining is Greppi.

Also Dooney Johnson of Milwaukee committed to Gonzaga today.

[Jim French Stepstool]

So as the story unfolds & the timeline is recognized, it appears more & more like the dismissal of Elijah Gray is connected to the recent gambling investigation. According to ESPN, the NCAA targeted thirteen players for the probe in September & the number is now closer to thirty, none of the players being looked at are currently enrolled at the schools involved, and one of the six schools mentioned is Temple (Grays' former program). Also, my wife thought it was terrible that he was sitting on the bench possibly infecting teammates during the Red-White scrimmage a couple weeks ago, since it was announced he was 'sick'. Guess he was just fine, honey.

ESPN is also claiming there is a connection to the college investigation & the larger story involving the NBA. Fun times.

[RedStickBrew]

About what I expected tonight from the Badgers. Blackwell was really good. Boyd got in the lane all night. Winter played with good aggressiveness. 
 

I do believe it will take some time for everyone to find their role, but there is a lot going for this team. 

[Jim French Stepstool]

1 hour ago, RedStickBrew said:

About what I expected tonight from the Badgers. Blackwell was really good. Boyd got in the lane all night. Winter played with good aggressiveness. 
 

I do believe it will take some time for everyone to find their role, but there is a lot going for this team. 

They were pretty sloppy at times tonight vs the 3/4 court trap & I'm still concerned about rebounding. Defensively I think it has to be something like it was early last season, where it takes time but they get 1% better every day. Winters' ability to fill the Crowl role will be determined once the sked toughens up but I agree he's been pretty good since Platteville. Still concerned about his hands.

If Boyd can just be average from 3PT he'll be a real tough guy to guard. And Blackwell took over the last 7 minutes or so. It's nice to have a guy in the Davis/Tonje mold who can do that.

After tonite it looks like Garlock MIGHT'VE inched ahead of Bieliauskas.

[Jim French Stepstool]

Defensively they came out tonite in a continuation of the last 8 minutes vs Campbell. That, some really good offense & an early hot streak by Boyd pretty much put away NIU before halftime. Sort of meh on the offensive end the last 30 minutes but the defense stayed mostly strong throughout. Gave up 72 but it probably would've been around 60 if not for the officials apparently getting a memo from the NCAA that the emphasis is now on trying to prevent players from guarding their opponents. Some of the 'contact' that was whistled was embarrassing.

The bench got some nice run. Hayden Jones is a smart, heady young player. Bieliauskas had a solid night, and Garlock was pretty good save for a propensity to foul. That should get better with experience. I said awhile back he needs to get stronger but I need to walk that back a little. He's pretty cut. Both backup bigs see the floor well.

Jack Janicki is a true asset defensively & makes mostly good decisions with the ball. However, it's been rumored his shot has gotten much better & so far I'd have to put those reports in the "Soup pitched great" category.

They scored 97 points. If they constantly posted & fed their bigs every time NIU switched---and they switched quite a bit--they probably could've scored 120.

[RedStickBrew]

I think this team is a pretty legit 10 deep. It will be interesting to see if all 10 continue to get minutes or if the rotation tightens as the year progresses.  Its great for development and hopefully keeps guys like Winter and Blackwell fresh heading into March

[yourout]

18 minutes ago, RedStickBrew said:

I think this team is a pretty legit 10 deep. It will be interesting to see if all 10 continue to get minutes or if the rotation tightens as the year progresses.  Its great for development and hopefully keeps guys like Winter and Blackwell fresh heading into March

I like that Gard seems to have a knack for finding NIL guys that seem to be good fits.

[RedStickBrew]

19 minutes ago, yourout said:

I like that Gard seems to have a knack for finding NIL guys that seem to be good fits.

Absolutely. I think it’s probably easier in basketball with roster size and fewer positions to find a fit. But he clearly has done his homework on finding guys that fit the culture too.

I really like the international kids too on this roster. Hopefully we can retain them for future seasons

[Jim French Stepstool]

2 hours ago, RedStickBrew said:

I think this team is a pretty legit 10 deep. It will be interesting to see if all 10 continue to get minutes or if the rotation tightens as the year progresses.  Its great for development and hopefully keeps guys like Winter and Blackwell fresh heading into March

As long as everyone stays healthy I think Hayden Jones would be the odd man out if they tighten down to nine players. Janicki & Carrington are more experienced and ahead of him defensively. But if Jones just gets a little better every day on D he could stay in the mix at least for 1st half minutes. I love how he shows a knack for getting to the line. I kept a pretty close eye on him in the scrimmage & he just has a nice feel for the game.

No official announcement that I've seen, but Zack Kinziger is strongly considering redshirting which is why he hasn't been out there the last two games. I'm sure Jones' emergence has something to do with that. In the current transfer/NIL climate some think redshirting is becoming a thing of the past, but IMO it would be a very sound decision for Kinziger.

[Playing Catch]

23 hours ago, RedStickBrew said:

I think this team is a pretty legit 10 deep. It will be interesting to see if all 10 continue to get minutes or if the rotation tightens as the year progresses.  Its great for development and hopefully keeps guys like Winter and Blackwell fresh heading into March

I came here to ask, is it the B1G's best 2nd unit? I stated a while back that I would be ecstatic if Bieliauskas and Garlock could prove worthy of B1G minutes, and so far, I'm ecstatic. Like all freshman, they will have some ugly stretches, I'm sure. But they've both looked like they can grow into legitimate guys this season.

I can already tell that Janicki is on a really, really strong career path to be one of those awesome Badger glue guys. He's the current flagbearer for the program the Badgers want to be, in terms of guys you want to recruit out of high school. Culture guys that you want to promote each season. He's going to have so many winning moments in his Badgers career.

Carrington is a near perfect fit for what Gard needed on this Badgers bench. What a recruiting coup.

Based on the 20-minutes of YouTube I saw on Hayden Jones, I had high expectations for him. Honestly, he's a little further behind than what I expected. I think he really needs to work on his body to be successful with what I expect will evole into that big-guard archetype.

21 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

I'm sure Jones' emergence has something to do with that. In the current transfer/NIL climate some think redshirting is becoming a thing of the past, but IMO it would be a very sound decision for Kinziger.

He seems like an ideal candidate to go pro... at Wisconsin. Blackwell has been on the record saying something to the effect of, "Wisconsin will take care of their guys". Hanging on to whatever college eligibility he has could prove a very lucrative decision. Obviously, that's still true if he ultimately gets paid elsewhere.

[Jim French Stepstool]

4 hours ago, Playing Catch said:

I came here to ask, is it the B1G's best 2nd unit? I stated a while back that I would be ecstatic if Bieliauskas and Garlock could prove worthy of B1G minutes, and so far, I'm ecstatic. Like all freshman, they will have some ugly stretches, I'm sure. But they've both looked like they can grow into legitimate guys this season.

I can already tell that Janicki is on a really, really strong career path to be one of those awesome Badger glue guys. He's the current flagbearer for the program the Badgers want to be, in terms of guys you want to recruit out of high school. Culture guys that you want to promote each season. He's going to have so many winning moments in his Badgers career.

Carrington is a near perfect fit for what Gard needed on this Badgers bench. What a recruiting coup.

Based on the 20-minutes of YouTube I saw on Hayden Jones, I had high expectations for him. Honestly, he's a little further behind than what I expected. I think he really needs to work on his body to be successful with what I expect will evole into that big-guard archetype.

 

Let's keep in mind that Jones is young & is facing some experienced competition in practice, as well as in the games to come. Time is on his side. Yep, he needs to add strength but in his first taste of BB at this level I feel he's been pretty good.

I too like the size he & Rohde provide in the backcourt.

++ on your other points. Carrington had to know he'd be coming off the bench when he committed. He's embraced it, and having an experienced guard willing to fill that role is a wonderful asset. It would be great if Janicki's shot shows more consistently but even if it doesn't he contributes in a lot of ways. Glue guy for sure.

You can really see the court vision & passing ability in the two FR bigs. If the NIU game is any indication, they're both really starting to get comfortable & more confident on both ends. Once the schedule toughens up, like you said there'll be some growing pains. But yeah, lots of reason for optimism. Hoping they can build on this tomorrow & continue to grow confidence, as Ball State doesn't have much size.

[Jimbo]

Women's team played well enough for 38 minutes to take down Marquette on their court, but just couldn't seal it.  It would have been a nice win for them, they need something positive.  Forbes rises to the occasion for Marquette.  Kennedi Perkins left with looked like a nasty concussion, hope she is OK.

 

[Jim French Stepstool]

3 hours ago, Jimbo said:

Women's team played well enough for 38 minutes to take down Marquette on their court, but just couldn't seal it.  It would have been a nice win for them, they need something positive.  Forbes rises to the occasion for Marquette.  Kennedi Perkins left with looked like a nasty concussion, hope she is OK.

 

I don't follow the women's program closely, but from what I've learned it sounds like the coach they hired has the resume & type of character the program could really use after the recent rough stretch. Best of luck to them.

[Playing Catch]

18 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

Let's keep in mind that Jones is young & is facing some experienced competition in practice, as well as in the games to come. Time is on his side. Yep, he needs to add strength but in his first taste of BB at this level I feel he's been pretty good.

Certainly. It was more a comment on my too-high expectations for him. He looks like he can grow into the 3rd guard role in future seasons. I was really hoping he could be a true point guard, and at this nascent stage, I'm not sure I see enough athleticism for that role. However, I suppose if he becomes a deadeye from deep, that would really open up his playmaking abilities by drawing the defense. In addition, he may look quicker and more aggressive after playing in the system for a couple of months, obviously.

With all that said, I expected him to be a PG that was successful controlling the rhythm and speed of the game, and not allowing himself to get sped up. Using his body to get to spots on the floor, and his length to find passes to open teammates, rather than by blowing past defenders. He still looks like that guy.

[RedStickBrew]

Hayden Jones is not an explosive athlete but he can really handle the ball and is rather elusive. I doubt he is the heir apparent PG for the Badgers. 
 

He is a good passer as well. I think he is going to need to improve his shooting from three to carve out a larger role on the team

[Jim French Stepstool]

I think as time goes by, the 3pt marksmanship could be the difference between Jones being a complete offensive player & simply a good but not great one. His shooting form looks textbook to me, so we'll see.

As an upperclassman I see him as an effective wing that can slide to the point at times if need be--not a 'pure' PG but in the mold of a Klesmit or a Davison.

[Playing Catch]

1 hour ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

I think as time goes by, the 3pt marksmanship could be the difference between Jones being a complete offensive player & simply a good but not great one. His shooting form looks textbook to me, so we'll see.

As an upperclassman I see him as an effective wing that can slide to the point at times if need be--not a 'pure' PG but in the mold of a Klesmit or a Davison.

I think the comp I was hoping for out of Jones this season was Bronson Koenig. Slightly different playing styles, perhaps, but Koenig was ready to play right away. Jones may still prove to have some of that kind of dynamism to his play as a freshman, which would be really exciting. But this year's team seems deeper (less talented at the top, of course) than that '13-'14 squad, so I don't know that Jones will be asked to play such important minutes as Koenig did that season.

[Jim French Stepstool]

5 hours ago, Playing Catch said:

so I don't know that Jones will be asked to play such important minutes as Koenig did that season.

I think not. Both Carrington & Janicki are ahead of him defensively. Barring health issues I don't see him rising above 10th man, which would give him mostly some 1st half time AFA quality minutes are concerned.

The current team definitely is deeper in the backcourt than the 13-14 squad. That gave Koenig a path to bench minutes that year (I think that was the season George Marshall left the team, and Marshall was in the rotation the year before. Not that he was better than Koenig, but his leaving maybe expedited Koenigs' role a bit earlier).

 

[Jim French Stepstool]

More-or-less as expected vs Ball State. The Cardinals were a small team, but even considering that the UW bigs were all very impressive on the defensive end. Fundamentally sound, boxed out, not much reaching. Another double-double from Winter, three blocks from Rapp, and Bieliauskas & Garlock combined for 10 rebounds with no TOs & four assists.

Just like the NIU game, things got sloppy after building a big lead, and to be honest Bucky looked lousy & uncertain when BSU went to the 1-3-1 zone. Teaching point. Obviously 15 TOs is more than you'd like. Blackwell got up 6 shots, not one of them from inside the arc. Just not a good decision-making night from him. I guess if he has a night like that, have it in a buy game in November.

It really seems at times like they hoist too many 3PT shots (38 attempts tonite). As I alluded to, you don't want Blackwell going an entire game w/o attacking. Yet they shot around 37% from deep, which analytically most coaches will take. And Gard encourages the high volume so as long as they're good looks I don't see that changing much.

I see a little bit of a trap game element next. SIUE is the last 'take the opponent for granted' type game before BYU. Yeah, UW should win it, but this is probably the toughest opponent out of the first four, and they have a little bit of experienced size. It'll also be a Super Bowl for starting guard Jack Campion, who hails from Milton. Just one of those games where you don't want to overlook the opponent, a little like UTRGV last year around this time.

Mason Jones (#24 for Ball State) had an outstanding game on both ends. Very active & smart.

[Jim French Stepstool]

Signing day was last week and both committed freshmen signed & are in the fold for next season, LaTrevion Fenderson from Racine & Jackson Ball from New Zealand. Both are 6'5"-ish but Fenderson is more of a physical player who has a nose for the ball & whose best offensive game right now is from about 16ft & in while Ball is a guard with versatility who has competed successfully vs older competition & has a real shot at early minutes next year if Blackwell leaves early, and probably even if he doesn't.

Still recruiting Dominykas Daubaris, an 18-yr-old 6'9" forward from Lithuania who was in for a visit last month.