Wisconsin hoops have made contact with star big man in the transfer portal

The transfer portal is cooking, and Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard and his crew are working the phone lines and the visits to bring in some important pieces to replace those graduating out. The latest report from Jon Rothstein is a big one for a big man in 6'9" Morez Johnson, who played last year for the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Greg Gard is interested in Morez Johnson, who last played for Illinois

Morez Johnson Jr. was a stud for the Fighting Illini last season in his true freshman campaign. He averaged seven points and nearly seven rebounds a game. He did it with only 17 minutes on average a game as a freshman. You'd think, because he is a Big Ten foe, that Wisconsin would be familiar with him, but the Badgers actually aren't. While they saw Illinois twice last year in one of the contests, Johnson was hurt, and in the other, he was stymied. Johnson had 0 points on 13 minutes against the Badgers.

He's an intriguing prospect because he's already proven he can compete in the Big Ten at a high level, and yet he still has three years left to play. He is a machine on the boards and is also a developing shot blocker with over one a game.

The bigger question is how well he fits into Gard's newly developed offense. It's going to be a work in progress if Johnson decides to play for the Badgers. He only shoots 61% from the line, and he never even attempted a three all last season. He's essentially an under-the-basket player on both ends of the floor. Making him an interesting player for Gard to target and chase. However, one of Gard's favorite things to do is develop big men and teach them to stretch the floor. It'll be interesting to see if Johnson narrows his list and the Badgers are still on it.