4 realistic (and unrealistic) options for Wisconsin basketball's final roster spot

Wisconsin has been very vocal about how they are working to add one more player to the roster, bringing the total number of players up from 14 to 15. Greg Gard has mentioned that he's looking for it to be a big man. He's even sent assistant coaches Lance Randall and Joe Krabbenhoft overseas to the FIBA tournaments to scout big men.

There's also the option of Braeden Carrington returning; he's not a big man, but he's trying to get a 5th year. This may be a slim chance of happening, but Wisconsin basketball general manager Marc VandeWettering said that they are monitoring the lawsuit and have a plan if Carrington does get approved.

Let's look at some of the options out there, knowing that the most likely candidate isn't even on this list. Overseas prospects are often unknown.

1. Braeden Carrington

Carrington is the best-known option but actually may be close to the bottom in terms of the percentage of happening. Today, the NCAA released a statement saying they won't be making adjustments to the 5-in-5 rule and that it will only be going forward. The seniors who graduated won't get another year; tough luck. However, the lawsuit is still pending, and maybe it will happen. Who knows nowadays?

2. Nikola Bundalo

We know that Randall and Krabbenhoft are overseas checking out FIBA U20. Most of the known players are already committed to programs. However, a name did pop up that has yet to make the transition to the NCAA. Big man Nikola Bundalo, a 6'11 forward, may have some intrigue for Greg Gard. He's a big man that can both protect the rim and stretch the floor. According to LayUp Hoops, "Massive interest is brewing among High-Major and Power 4 programs-more details on his recruitment coming soon!"

3. David Okwera

This one is probably relatively unlikely, but it's intriguing to consider. David Okwera is a very effective big man in the NBL. He has played against Owen Foxwell and Jackson Ball. He's basically in the same age category as Foxwell and could follow a similar path. Like Foxwell, he would only have one year of eligibility, and the rumors out there are that he is exploring the option.

If he does pull the trigger on an NCAA transition, he may be more expensive than Wisconsin was planning to spend. BYU is known to have interest, and that school loves winning bidding wars for players they deem "high priority."

4. Keyshawn Hall

The final option presented in this article is Keyshawn Hall. He's a monster averaging 19.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists last season for Auburn. He's actually run out of eligibility playing for UNLV as a freshman, George Mason as a sophomore, UCF as a junior, and finally at Auburn last season. That's four years, but he just won a lawsuit in Ohio to get one more season, and he's looking for his final school.

Wisconsin probably won't realistically be in the mix, especially because the NCAA isn't done trying to bar him from play. That's still going to be a bit of a mess. However, he is an open big on the market, so it might as well be mentioned for Wisconsin.

Most likely, it will be none of these, and some complete wildcard like Aleksaus Bieliauskas to Wisconsin was last season.

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