With the heartbreaking loss to BYU in the NCAA Tournament now in the rearview mirror, Greg Gard and company will turn their attention to the 2025 Badgers. The transfer portal officially opens today, and over the coming weeks, hundreds of players will enter their name in hopes of landing with a new team. Wisconsin has said their top priority is retaining their best talent, but they'll also need to add through thr portal, something they have had incredible success doing. So what does a Badgers' dream offseason look like?
Retaining John Blackwell, Nolan Winter and Jack Janicki
The Badgers are losing a lot of seniors, including starters John Tonje, Max Klesmit, and Steven Crowl. The next best players on the team are probably the trio of Blackwell, Winter and Janicki, so keeping them at home is extremely important. Luckily, every indication from the players so far is that they intend to stay. Barring some godfather offer from another school, Wisconsin is likely to retain them, but could see some bench players on the move.
Odds are that at least a couple of Badgers will enter their name into the portal, but losing bench players like Daniel Freitag or Xavier Amos would be a tough break as well. Ultimately, if Wisconsin can keep those five players, fans would be very happy.
Adding a wing and a big through the portal
Wisconsin has nailed the portal the last few seasons, snagging both AJ Storr and John Tonje, but they'll need to do it again in order to replace all the production leaving. The Badgers are losing 64% of their scoring with the seniors departing, and will have a lot of holes to fill with freshman and transfers. Incoming freshman Zach Kinziger can score at will, but how ready he will be to step in and contribute will be a big question mark.
With Tonje gone, Blackwell will need someone else to share the load on offense. It's unlikely that anyone on the current roster can fill the void of putting up 15+ every night, meaning Gard will have to work his magic in the portal to once again find that diamond in the rough wing. A few names that would be great pickups are Southern Illinois' Kennard Davis, UMass Lowell's Quinton Mincey, and the Simpkins brothers, TJ and TK, out of Elon, all of whom averaged over 14 points per game this past season.
The Badgers would also be wise to add a center through the portal. Winter, although listed at 7-0, is best suited to play the stretch four, leaving the void left by Crowl still to fill. UW-Milwaukee's Jamichael Stillwell, who the Badgers have already contacted, could be a nice fit after averaging 13 points and 10 rebounds with the Panthers. A few other names who could be options are Iowa's Owen Freeman and maybe even Youngstown State's Gabe Dynes, who doesn't fit the Badgers' prototypical center mold, but is a true rim-protector who averaged 3.1 blocks per game this past season.