For Wisconsin Badger fans looking for clarity on the Braeden Carrington situation, today is sadly not your day. Carrington was granted an injunction in California, which technically deems him eligible for the time being. But as we all know by now, it would be sacrilegious if the process were that easy.
The NCAA is choosing to appeal the decision made by the California judge, meaning that the process of finding out if the players covered by the injunction are eligible continues to be delayed. For Wisconsin in particular, this is an especially pressing issue, as having Carrington or not throws a huge wrench into how Greg Gard goes about doing things.
Braeden Carrington has been part of this one.#Badgers https://t.co/OBjyaMQGzt
— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) October 20, 2026
Last season, Carrington was great. He came off the bench, was a spark plug when needed and, over the course of the season, hit some big-time shots for the Badgers. This year, however, if he were to return, Carrington will be expected to do much more than just get hot.
Whether he starts remains to be seen, as Gard has already been playing around with lineups in the first couple of exhibition games, which Carrington competed in but didn’t start. Those two games are meaningless in the grand scheme of things and are by no means indicative of how things will play out, but there is no doubt that Gard has to be careful with how he goes about things so as not to over-rely on a lineup that doesn’t end up getting a chance to play with one another.
Carrington himself has been solid thus far, particularly in Game 2, where, in just 17 minutes, he racked up 20 points. It’s evident that he will be playing a big role if he is cleared to play; it’s just a matter of whether he gets that clear “good to go.”
Guard Braeden Carrington has been practicing with the Badgers since summer. The current expectation is that he’ll be eligible for this upcoming season.
— Payne Blazevich (@payneblazevich) October 6, 2026
Said Gard: “As of now, he’ll be going.” pic.twitter.com/qIA3RXudsx
Looking ahead
Even more frightening is the fact that the season is just two weeks away, and we still ultimately have no clue how any of this will shake out. Everyone has their own theory as to how this can be resolved, but the fact of the matter is that these eligibility battles will likely creep their way into the 2026-27 season.
We have seen players gain and lose eligibility at a moment’s notice over the past couple of years, particularly those jumping over from other professional leagues. Nonetheless, the process is long and drawn out, and there is no resolution in near sight for Carrington.
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