Wisconsin Basketball 2025-26

[igor67]

Surprised I haven't seen it in the discussion about Gard, but compared to what has happened to football in the NIL era I'll take the basketball results every single time. Maybe someday sanity will be restored to the system, but at least I got to attend UW during the Dayne years and the first Final Four run.

[Jim French Stepstool]

1 hour ago, Samurai Bucky said:

When I saw you mention GB, that reminded me of a video from Doug Gottlieb this year.  Fast forward to the 1:00 mark if you want to see the best part, although it would be good to see it up to that point to get more context.

 

I've seen that, but it's always worth a replay😄.

Gottlieb had a presser after the 1st semester closed, which I found interesting. He had the academic performance numbers for men's basketball at the semester break. In D-1 there are 365 schools (four transitional). That might put you conservatively in the neighborhood of 4400-4500 scholarship athletes. The number of athletes that were academically ineligible was.....zero. Are academics being glossed over? Is it easier to job the system when you have a lot of online classes? Are certain classes being dumbed down, especially since it isn't good business to have your $600,000 power forward sitting out? Nah. I'm sure student-athletes are just much, much smarter nowadays🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

1 hour ago, Samurai Bucky said:

When I saw you mention GB, that reminded me of a video from Doug Gottlieb this year.  Fast forward to the 1:00 mark if you want to see the best part, although it would be good to see it up to that point to get more context.

 

Are other coaches/programs selling ad space on the sleeves? I know that kind of branding is everywhere, so maybe it's just my impression of Gottlieb that leads me to think this feels more extreme.

As for the clip itself, it feels real on-brand. Big-time talk radio energy there.

Thanks for sharing!

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

19 minutes ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

I've seen that, but it's always worth a replay😄.

Gottlieb had a presser after the 1st semester closed, which I found interesting. He had the academic performance numbers for men's basketball at the semester break. In D-1 there are 365 schools (four transitional). That might put you conservatively in the neighborhood of 4400-4500 scholarship athletes. The number of athletes that were academically ineligible was.....zero. Are academics being glossed over? Is it easier to job the system when you have a lot of online classes? Are certain classes being dumbed down, especially since it isn't good business to have your $600,000 power forward sitting out? Nah. I'm sure student-athletes are just much, much smarter nowadays🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣.

We're not that far from teams basically just being offshoots of the university. It'll be like the club system in Europe, only with the jerseys of the schools.

If we ever really had the "Michigan State University Independent Athletic Collective," would I yell about it? I don't know. It would be far from my preferred sporting system. It would also be more honest than what we had for most of the last century. 

[LouisEly]

1 hour ago, igor67 said:

Surprised I haven't seen it in the discussion about Gard, but compared to what has happened to football in the NIL era I'll take the basketball results every single time. Maybe someday sanity will be restored to the system, but at least I got to attend UW during the Dayne years and the first Final Four run.

I've heard from sources that it takes about $5M to field a good basketball team these days.

I'm guessing that football is a lot more, simply by having 7x as many players even though not all get "NIL".  

Gard has been able to showcase what a Storr or Tonje looks like in his system, but if they had blown their knees out early in the season and have little to no stats to show for it (like the football QBs), I wonder if as many agents would be knocking on Gard's door.

[Jim French Stepstool]

3 hours ago, Cool Hand Lucroy said:

We're not that far from teams basically just being offshoots of the university. It'll be like the club system in Europe, only with the jerseys of the schools.

If we ever really had the "Michigan State University Independent Athletic Collective," would I yell about it? I don't know. It would be far from my preferred sporting system. It would also be more honest than what we had for most of the last century. 

This topic could fill an entire thread.......hell, an entire message board.

I'm probably being naive but I'll still hold out hope for some sort of return to sanity. State farm is running the ad featuring the Boozer boys. To me, THIS should be what NIL is all about. The kids were in the ad in street clothes, no reference to their school, no Duke unis or logos. They're obviously more in the limelight than others; that's why they get the State Farm gig, while a Zach Kinziger gets a local spot from Piggly Wiggly or whatever. But the school should have NO input into these opportunities, in any way. If the player wants to work out a deal w/an agent on a % basis, fine. I was clueless enough to think that was the way it was going to work. I saw how wrong I was when State Farm first marched Kaitlin Clark out there in her Iowa jersey. I was really disillusioned & knew this was a bad, bad path.

What's unfortunate is that the NCAA has taken a legal beating on most of this. Hopefully that changes.

[Jim French Stepstool]

3 hours ago, Cool Hand Lucroy said:

Are other coaches/programs selling ad space on the sleeves? I know that kind of branding is everywhere, so maybe it's just my impression of Gottlieb that leads me to think this feels more extreme.

As for the clip itself, it feels real on-brand. Big-time talk radio energy there.

Thanks for sharing!

Yeah, lol. Selling space on your appendages DOES seem pretty "Gottlieb-ish". The key would be if the assistants are decked out similarily🤷‍♂️.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

4 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

 

What's unfortunate is that the NCAA has taken a legal beating on most of this. Hopefully that changes.

It's an awful spot when an institution like the NCAA maintains what (to me) was an absurd position about "student-athletes" for decades, and then the courts strike down everything and basically make any type of regulation impossible.

I think this era will be short-lived. Either we'll get full breakaways by the upper-echelons (which would be awful, but we've been steadily heading there for a while, and I'm becoming more and more resigned to it), or we'll have something like a CBA, either by sport or by division. Maybe this will come with full-on unionization, or maybe it'll just come via the NCAA enforcing very strict rules around allowable spending (and those rules standing up in court). I think the genuine NIL model that most folks thought was reasonable and fair is so far away from what this has become, it'll be hard to get back there. I hope we do, but...

In the meantime, not only are we in weird, pseudo-regulated space, but the regulations change every time someone files a court case. It's bonkers. Sigh. No such thing as the good old days, but we've definitely traded one absurd situation for a different absurd situation. It just seems to me there has to be an actual balance of power in college sports, rather than the old system (the NCAA and the schools make the rules) or the new one (where the players and the boosters run the show). 

[Samurai Bucky]

On 3/23/2026 at 2:26 PM, Cool Hand Lucroy said:

Are other coaches/programs selling ad space on the sleeves? I know that kind of branding is everywhere, so maybe it's just my impression of Gottlieb that leads me to think this feels more extreme.

You didn't just run out and buy some Liquid Death after seeing this?  Hmmm...

[Jim French Stepstool]

Reserve forward Jack Robison has announced he'll be entering the transfer portal.

The 'official' window for entering the portal is April 7-21. I thought sometime around the beginning of that window I'd start a thread on some of the players that entered, who UW might be interested in, and throw in some recruiting updates. I imagine there'll be a lot of dormancy but some news should pop up from time to time.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

12 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

Reserve forward Jack Robison has announced he'll be entering the transfer portal.

The 'official' window for entering the portal is April 7-21. I thought sometime around the beginning of that window I'd start a thread on some of the players that entered, who UW might be interested in, and throw in some recruiting updates. I imagine there'll be a lot of dormancy but some news should pop up from time to time.

Appreciate it! Good calendar shift for the sport. Was a bad look to have the portal officially open prior to the Sweet Sixteen. 

[Jim French Stepstool]

3 hours ago, Cool Hand Lucroy said:

 Was a bad look to have the portal officially open prior to the Sweet Sixteen. 

Yep. As long as you're going to have to do it I think this new timeline is about right.

[Brewin]

Would love for the Badgers to get Jackson Shelstad, but that is probably very unlikely as he is already being linked to Gonzaga

[Jim French Stepstool]

3 hours ago, Brewin said:

Would love for the Badgers to get Jackson Shelstad, but that is probably very unlikely as he is already being linked to Gonzaga

Yeah, sign me up for Shelstad too. He'll be hotly pursued if he wants to shop, but the Zags make sense. He's an Oregon native & might want to stay in the area.

[yourout]

Wisconsin women's basketball team won their third straight WBIT game and are now in the semifinals.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

It appears the tournament will be expanding to 76 teams next year.

This is crappy for a million reasons, but I'm not sure I have the stomach to complain about it. I suspect it'll be choir-preaching here, and this was pretty much going to happen no matter what.

I do wish the folks defending it (namely the NCAA and TV people) would just be honest about it. "We know people hate it, and that it will probably diminish the value of the regular season and help mediocre power conference teams, but it will allow us to make money on media rights deals, and that's what we care about."

I'd actually respect that instead of the garbage that pretends this is about basketball. It's not. And we'll live with it, but they should at least own their greed and be called out for it.

[Jim French Stepstool]

12 hours ago, Cool Hand Lucroy said:

It appears the tournament will be expanding to 76 teams next year.

This is crappy for a million reasons, but I'm not sure I have the stomach to complain about it. I suspect it'll be choir-preaching here, and this was pretty much going to happen no matter what.

I do wish the folks defending it (namely the NCAA and TV people) would just be honest about it. "We know people hate it, and that it will probably diminish the value of the regular season and help mediocre power conference teams, but it will allow us to make money on media rights deals, and that's what we care about."

I'd actually respect that instead of the garbage that pretends this is about basketball. It's not. And we'll live with it, but they should at least own their greed and be called out for it.

Yeah, the NCAA will make that statement about 36 hours after the first portal kid says he's going to (insert school here) because they offered him the biggest check, instead of the crap written for him by some agent extolling the virtues of the previous school, staff & fans of the team he's leaving, followed by what's becoming the most famous cliche of the decade----"With that being said------". So many of the things the NCAA has done, from rule changes to stuff like this, seems to scream "Let's be more like the NBA". For someone like myself who's felt for many decades that college basketball is a much more pleasing product it's really disgusting.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

12 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

Yeah, the NCAA will make that statement about 36 hours after the first portal kid says he's going to (insert school here) because they offered him the biggest check, instead of the crap written for him by some agent extolling the virtues of the previous school, staff & fans of the team he's leaving, followed by what's becoming the most famous cliche of the decade----"With that being said------". So many of the things the NCAA has done, from rule changes to stuff like this, seems to scream "Let's be more like the NBA". For someone like myself who's felt for many decades that college basketball is a much more pleasing product it's really disgusting.

Agreed. I think the institutional power of the NCAA makes it a little more egregious than any random player, but I certainly take the point.

I'm already resigning myself to the day we move MBB to quarters. 

Honestly, I still miss the days of the 35-second shot clock. It opened up a whole world of style diversity and made college basketball a unique product. 

All that said, I will say the quality of play has probably never been better. And there's still a good deal of diversity in terms of tactics and strategy, much more so than the NBA. MBB is in a decent spot, and the tournament is a genuine jewel, which is why it's so frustrating. Watching an institution try to squeeze its main product for marginal extra cash, at risk to a lot of things, is tough.

[Jim French Stepstool]

2 hours ago, Cool Hand Lucroy said:

Agreed. I think the institutional power of the NCAA makes it a little more egregious than any random player, but I certainly take the point.

I'm already resigning myself to the day we move MBB to quarters. 

Honestly, I still miss the days of the 35-second shot clock. It opened up a whole world of style diversity and made college basketball a unique product. 

All that said, I will say the quality of play has probably never been better. And there's still a good deal of diversity in terms of tactics and strategy, much more so than the NBA. MBB is in a decent spot, and the tournament is a genuine jewel, which is why it's so frustrating. Watching an institution try to squeeze its main product for marginal extra cash, at risk to a lot of things, is tough.

Unfortunately I don't think there IS much risk, and they realize that. They feel the hardcore fans will never leave, so might as well attract the fair-weather fans, wives, GFs, gamblers, and people with 15 second attention spans with things like an expanded tournament, legalized travelling, shortened shot clocks, making it tougher & tougher to defend because OBVIOUSLY a game with more points scored is a better game, etc. 

I'd absolutely hate going to quarters. HS ball now plays halves (at least in Wisconsin) after playing quarters for many years so maybe it can be headed off. And yeah, there was no sensible reason to go to a 30-second clock. Teams that wanted to play fast had nothing stopping them. But teams that wanted to play a different tempo were being squeezed as we went from no shot clock, to 45, 35, and now this. I love that so many games are being televised nowadays, but that saturation is a large part of the problem. IMO it's beautiful to watch the intricasies of play on both ends from a team coached by someone like Pete Carrill, Dick Harter, the Bennetts, Don Chaney, etc. But if it isn't must-see TV, screw you, we'll rule-change your style out of vogue. And that's sad.

Pardon me, there's kids on my lawn, gotta go.

[nate82]

A shorter shot clock should benefit the defensive first teams than a longer shot clock.  A lockdown defense is going to make it even more difficult to score with a shorter shot clock. 

[Jim French Stepstool]

22 minutes ago, nate82 said:

A shorter shot clock should benefit the defensive first teams than a longer shot clock.  A lockdown defense is going to make it even more difficult to score with a shorter shot clock. 

I was talking more about teams that combine tough halfcourt defense with a patient offense. For many teams over the years the two went hand-in-hand because the energy expended on moving their feet, fighting through screens, etc was recovered somewhat by not being up tempo on the other end.

This was before the shot clock era, but Al McGuire used to say "You work on defense & rest on offense".

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

4 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

Unfortunately I don't think there IS much risk, and they realize that. They feel the hardcore fans will never leave, so might as well attract the fair-weather fans, wives, GFs, gamblers, and people with 15 second attention spans with things like an expanded tournament, legalized travelling, shortened shot clocks, making it tougher & tougher to defend because OBVIOUSLY a game with more points scored is a better game, etc. 

I'd absolutely hate going to quarters. HS ball now plays halves (at least in Wisconsin) after playing quarters for many years so maybe it can be headed off. And yeah, there was no sensible reason to go to a 30-second clock. Teams that wanted to play fast had nothing stopping them. But teams that wanted to play a different tempo were being squeezed as we went from no shot clock, to 45, 35, and now this. I love that so many games are being televised nowadays, but that saturation is a large part of the problem. IMO it's beautiful to watch the intricasies of play on both ends from a team coached by someone like Pete Carrill, Dick Harter, the Bennetts, Don Chaney, etc. But if it isn't must-see TV, screw you, we'll rule-change your style out of vogue. And that's sad.

Pardon me, there's kids on my lawn, gotta go.

Great post. And I'm not going to pretend it was always better back in the old days, either, but you certainly lose something when you sell out to create offense and focus on "product." I really miss those Temple teams, too. Haven't seen a team really commit to the matchup zone in decades.

It says something that teams with those signature styles are abandoning them. Badgers don't run the swing. Tony B is retired, and Virginia's less and less a pack-line team. Northwestern and the Princeton-offense coaching tree still runs a lot of backdoor action, but it's more about clearing space for shooters. Heck, Bucky Ball is the closest thing to "40 minutes of hell," and it was a little less Bucky-ish and A&M than it was at Samford.

Honestly, part of me wonders if it isn't as much the youth sports structure as it is anything else. Kids play so many GAMES now, and games are actually a pretty bad way to teach basketball. The NBA is selecting for freakish height/athleticism combos, Michigan won a title with that approach, and, more and more games aren't about tactics as they are about personnel. Everyone has 5 guys who can shoot. Everyone's 6-4 or bigger. Roll out the ball and see who can get the rim and make triples, factoring in the whims of the whistle.

CBB still has its pockets. I think the style diversity is still there by and large, and that, along with the atmospheres, will carry it a long way provided we don't go to full-on NBA or international rules.

Re: the shorter shot clock. Sure, it helps good defensive teams, but it creates a lot more possessions. That means there's less incentive to play slow and defend than there was 15, 20 years ago, just by virtue of the fact that that style now has to succeed over 68 or 70 trips instead of 62 or 64.

[Jim French Stepstool]

1 hour ago, Cool Hand Lucroy said:

Great post. And I'm not going to pretend it was always better back in the old days, either, but you certainly lose something when you sell out to create offense and focus on "product." I really miss those Temple teams, too. Haven't seen a team really commit to the matchup zone in decades.

It says something that teams with those signature styles are abandoning them. Badgers don't run the swing. Tony B is retired, and Virginia's less and less a pack-line team. Northwestern and the Princeton-offense coaching tree still runs a lot of backdoor action, but it's more about clearing space for shooters. Heck, Bucky Ball is the closest thing to "40 minutes of hell," and it was a little less Bucky-ish and A&M than it was at Samford.

Honestly, part of me wonders if it isn't as much the youth sports structure as it is anything else. Kids play so many GAMES now, and games are actually a pretty bad way to teach basketball. The NBA is selecting for freakish height/athleticism combos, Michigan won a title with that approach, and, more and more games aren't about tactics as they are about personnel. Everyone has 5 guys who can shoot. Everyone's 6-4 or bigger. Roll out the ball and see who can get the rim and make triples, factoring in the whims of the whistle.

CBB still has its pockets. I think the style diversity is still there by and large, and that, along with the atmospheres, will carry it a long way provided we don't go to full-on NBA or international rules.

Re: the shorter shot clock. Sure, it helps good defensive teams, but it creates a lot more possessions. That means there's less incentive to play slow and defend than there was 15, 20 years ago, just by virtue of the fact that that style now has to succeed over 68 or 70 trips instead of 62 or 64.

Yeah, Bucky McMillan. I thought about Samford but couldn't come up with the coaches' name. Great example.