The Wisconsin Badgers and Greg Gard have done a great job at retooling following an offseason riddled with roster turnover. The Badgers lost multiple key players, such as John Blackwell and Nick Boyd, leaving them with no option but to hit the market to retool.
Arguably the biggest talent acquisition Wisconsin landed this offseason was guard Owen Foxwell, a standout in the NBL who is looking to make his mark in college hoops. However, Foxwell isn't nearly the scorer that Boyd, Blackwell or any of the other lead guards in recent Badger memory were. Rather, he is more of a hard-nosed, pass-first guard focused on setting the table for others.
Just found this clip of Wisconsin Badgers incoming PG, Owen Foxwell, throwing a lob to Milwaukee Bucks incoming 2nd round pick, Malique Lewis. pic.twitter.com/ZNhRhpcm6x
— Opp Pack Giannis (@OppPackGiannis) June 27, 2026
This new lead guard will likely mean a revamped Wisconsin system in comparison to what they have had in recent years, with a very likely beneficiary being Badger big man Nolan Winter. The 7-foot, soon-to-be senior has showcased consistent development thus far over his Wisconsin tenure, but one aspect of his game that has seemingly been dormant is the scoring.
What to Look Forward too
As of now, Winter does most of his work either cleaning up on the inside, finishing putbacks, dump-offs or loose balls that find their way into his hands. Along with that, he has shown some flashes as a post creator, along with being a solid perimeter threat, giving him a solid and well-rounded base to build off.
However, due to him lacking high-end ball skills and playmaking ability, Winter has never been able to unlock his full scoring arsenal, relying on other guys to set him up for scoring opportunities. In years past, Winter hasn't had the luxury of a great table setter, with Boyd, Blackwell and Tonje all being isolation-heavy and lacking high-end passing ability. However, with Foxwell now in the fold, it's easy to imagine the Badgers maximizing Winter, unlocking previously dormant parts of his game.
Nolan Winter to his agents: "I want to be a Badger, and do anything you can to make sure that's possible."#Badgers pic.twitter.com/j2wLTlR9Ne
— John Steppe (@JSteppe1) April 27, 2026
He now has a more capable partner in the pick and roll who can both find and create passing windows for Winter as he is either rolling to the basket or popping to the perimeter. Along with that, a more pass-first backcourt inherently creates more opportunities for others on the roster and, considering Winter's nose for the ball, it seems as if he is going to get spoon-fed more chances to score.
Of course, part of unlocking him will fall on Winter himself, as he still has to improve multiple aspects of his game. However, given Winter's track record of development since first stepping foot on campus in Madison, on top of the situation now benefiting him more as a player, he seems primed for a breakout season as part of Wisconsin.
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