Wisconsin basketball has all but confirmed Braeden Carrington is the final player

Wisconsin has yet to formally announce who the 15th player is for the basketball roster. Greg Gard has been emphatic that the team will add a final player to get to max roster capacity. Wisconsin was sniffing around Europe and overseas for a potential addition all the while; Braeden Carrington was actively pursuing a fifth season on the court. When his TRO was approved, nothing was really said, but the signs have been out there that the roster spot is going to Carrington.

He's never really stopped working out with the team; that was maybe the first sign. As an alum, if the coach allows it, a player can come and be part of practices. So that's not huge news, but he hasn't stopped, and he's actively taking part in all team activities. He was even spotted as one of the first finishers of a cardio workout on campus when they ran Bascom Hill.

Greg Gard even told reporters that they are still in "wait-and-see" mode. The NCAA isn't fully done with Carrington's case.

Braeden Carrington appears to be the 15th player on the Badger basketball roster

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Carrington has yet to be added to the roster page, and the last time Gard or any of the basketball staff talked about Carrington, they mentioned it was a possibility but were waiting for the court cases to play out. Well, the court case went in favor of Carrington, and unless the NCAA throws another curveball and attacks his specific TRO, he seems to be in the clear to play.

He can't transfer because his court case did not open a transfer window, and it's clear Carrington doesn't want to transfer. He's been a major part of the team this offseason, and he has even been in attendance as part of the student section at volleyball matches.

Carrington was a huge part of Wisconsin's success last season, and he would be a big boost to the offense. He scored 281 points last year for the Badgers in 18 minutes a game. His averages are impressive for the sixth or sometimes seventh man. He scored 8.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game on over 40% shooting.

The big problem for the Badgers and Carrington is that the team is very guard-heavy right now. Especially in terms of talent. The team has nine players listed as playing the "guard" position. If Carrington truly is the final piece to the puzzle, that would give them 10. That's a lot of similar players to manage.

However, Gard wouldn't turn down a proven player who has been effective at Wisconsin. Carrington would be a home run, and it wouldn't be him who had his minutes cut. It would be someone else who would probably be the one who loses out if Carrington rolls.

Carrington should be cleared to play; he's basically the perfect case study for the five-in-five, and he was simply a year too early. He's played only four seasons of basketball, fits the right age bracket, and simply never redshirted. Besides the NCAA wanting to prove a point, there's no reason he doesn't fit the perfect bill for what the NCAA is moving towards anyway. For Wisconsin, it's a big offensive and defensive boost to the team.

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