Wisconsin men’s basketball will send one of its most established players and one of its most intriguing newcomers to Rosemont next week.
The Big Ten announced that senior forward Nolan Winter and Miami (OH) transfer Eian Elmer will join head coach Greg Gard as Wisconsin’s representatives at Big Ten Basketball Media Days on Thursday, Oct. 8, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois.
The men’s programs will take center stage Thursday after the conference’s women’s programs appear on Wednesday. Big Ten Network’s live coverage is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. CT.
Wisconsin spent much of the offseason reshaping the roster around a handful of returning pieces, adding experience, shooting, size, and athleticism through the transfer portal while trying to build a more balanced group. The staff has also emphasized becoming more physical and improving defensively after last season, all while figuring out how the newcomers fit together. Plenty of roles still need to be sorted out, but the general vision for what Gard wants this team to become is taking shape.
For Wisconsin, the selections offer a pretty good snapshot of where Gard’s roster stands entering the 2026-27 season.
Winter is the known commodity.
The 7-foot, 235-pound senior returns for his fourth season at Wisconsin after developing into one of the Big Ten’s better frontcourt players as a junior. Winter averaged 13.1 points and a team-high 8.5 rebounds last season, finished second in the conference with 12 double-doubles, and shot 69.9% from two-point range, which ranked 10th nationally.
Keeping Winter in Madison was one of Wisconsin’s most important offseason investments. Now healthy after undergoing a cleanup procedure that limited the Lakeville North product for much of the summer, Winter enters his senior season as one of the few established pieces on a roster that will otherwise feature plenty of new faces.
Elmer represents the other side of that equation.
The 6-foot-6 wing arrives after earning second-team All-MAC honors at Miami (OH), where he started all 34 games for a team that finished 32-2. Elmer averaged 12.7 points and a team-high 5.9 rebounds while knocking down threes at a 42.9% clip. He also contributed 42 steals and 23 blocks.
Those numbers explain why Wisconsin was interested. What’s more intriguing is what the staff believes could still be left to develop.
Gard praised Elmer’s combination of size, power, and skill when Wisconsin signed him, and the Badgers believe his offensive game has another layer beyond being an elite catch-and-shoot threat. This staff wants to put the ball in his hands more and see whether he can become another source of creation on a roster replacing most of last season’s perimeter production.
Gard, meanwhile, enters his 12th season leading Wisconsin with a 237-128 career record and a 131-83 mark in Big Ten play. The Badgers have reached eight of the 10 NCAA tournaments held during his tenure and are coming off a 24-11 season that included a 14-6 conference record.
With preseason practice underway and another significantly reshaped roster to mesh together, Media Days will offer the next opportunity to hear how Gard, Winter and Elmer view what Wisconsin has assembled.
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