Wisconsin men’s basketball preseason musings: Here's what stood out
Here’s what we learned about the 2025–26 Wisconsin men’s basketball team from its preseason exhibitions against Oklahoma and UW-Platteville.
The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team wrapped up its exhibition season by beating UW-Platteville 69–53 at the Kohl Center in a game that felt closer than the final line indicated. The 84–83 loss to Oklahoma at Fiserv Forum presented a different kind of test, and that pairing provided the right contrast heading into the opener vs. Campbell.
The big picture is simple: Wisconsin has experience, shot creation by committee, a frontcourt that will play a big role in the team coming together, and a coach focused on improved ball security and defense.
Greg Gard didn’t sugarcoat the tape.
“We’ve got a long way to go,” Gard admitted. “We’ve got to continue to get better. I think our ceiling is high, and it should be for October. I hope we wouldn’t be scratching our heads on the ceiling right now.”
Oklahoma stressed Wisconsin with a steady diet of ball screens, forcing the Badgers to communicate coverages and protect the middle of the floor. Platteville flipped the script with more off-ball actions and swing concepts that tested weak-side help, switching rules, and the ability to stay connected through cuts. That experience was invaluable.
It gave Wisconsin reps against two very different problems before the games count, which is why Gard keeps pushing for more preseason games in a sport where rosters churn and chemistry has to be built on the fly.
It also helped shape early impressions of the rotation. With only 200 minutes to distribute, Gard and his staff used the exhibitions to experiment and see who could handle different defensive looks, who could stay disciplined within structure, and who could make adjustments.
These were live reps for a team still learning each other’s tendencies, and that film will be worth its weight in gold. The truth is, Wisconsin’s ceiling lives in its communication and attention to detail. After two exhibitions, the Badgers staff now has a much clearer sense of where both stand.
Turnovers, Teaching Points, and Lineups
Against Oklahoma, Wisconsin turned the ball over just seven times, a respectable number given the competition and pace. But against Jeff Gard and the Pioneers, that discipline vanished. The Badgers coughed it up 15 times against a Division III opponent from the WIAC, the kind of stat that jumps off the page no matter how early the calendar reads.
Wisconsin ranked 16th nationally in turnover percentage last season (14.0), according to KenPom. However, that standard slipped in the final preseason tune-up. Gard explained both the why of it all and the fixes.
“Well, I think part of it is playing together and becoming more accustomed and having that synergy develop,” Gard said. “Some of it is also some fundamental things of playing too fast in the moment, or when we did attack, not playing off two feet, not being strong with the ball, not chinning the ball. Things that are obviously correctable.”
There’s also the context of choice. Gard did loosen the reins at times, then mixed in more structure when the game script called for it.
“We went to a few more scripted calls at times,” Gard said. “We came out of the gate with a couple. I think we started the second half with one, and we had an illegal screen on another one that took away a layup. There weren’t a lot of them, but just trying to look at getting to more middle ball screens and those things. It’s a matter of making a play and finishing a play.
“I thought we were just too loose and had too many turnovers. We weren’t physical enough around the rim or finishing through contact.”
If you’re looking for clarity on what the frontcourt rotation might look like when the season begins, the picture is pretty straightforward. After the dismissal of transfer Elijah Gray, Wisconsin’s roster sits at 14 players, and Gard indicated that the staff doesn’t plan to fill that final spot. The team’s other frontcourt pieces have already begun to separate themselves.
“I think right now we’re just at 14,” Gard said. “The four front-line guys have been at the forefront from the start of camp. They’ve separated themselves. We just got to work and continue to get those guys better.”
That much was reflected in how Gard deployed his personnel. The core starting five of John Blackwell, Austin Rapp, Nick Boyd, Andrew Rohde, and Nolan Winter looks locked in to carry the heavy lifting minutes-wise.
Off the bench, Jack Janicki and Aleksas Bieliauskas appear to be the top rotation options, with Braeden Carrington emerging as the clear eighth man, giving the Badgers a player whose energy and versatility should make him a consistent factor throughout the season. Beyond that, Will Garlock gives Wisconsin a change of pace in the frontcourt, while Hayden Jones offers another ball handler with size to round out the back end.
As it stands, Zach Kinziger, Jack Robison, Riccardo Greppi, and Isaac Gard appear to be on the outside looking in when it comes to the early rotation. Things could change as the season unfolds, but for now, the staff is leaning on experience and proven versatility to set the foundation.
This is a roster with nine new faces. With several players capable of initiating the offense, there will naturally be an adjustment period as everyone learns how to play together. Having a presence like Rohde, who reads the room well, adapts to what the game needs, and helps those around him find rhythm, is a luxury for a group still building chemistry.