The Badgers have close to a set roster for the 2025-26 season.
The Wisconsin Badgers have their 13 scholarship players set for the 2025-26 season after adding a transfer and an international prospect on Thursday.
With the impending House settlement, the expectation is that Wisconsin will carry 13 scholarship players and one to two walk-ons per season.
The Badgers added Lithuanian forward Aleksas Bieliauskas and Tulsa transfer Braeden Carrington to round out the roster, adding a much-needed big and some extra guard depth to fill out the remaining holes ahead of the upcoming season.
Now, the Badgers have room for one more spot, a walk-on, should they use all 15 roster spots for next season.
With the latest additions, let’s break down what Wisconsin’s rotation could look like in 2025-26.
Starters
Point guard: Nick Boyd
Shooting guard: John Blackwell
Small forward: Andrew Rohde
Power forward: Austin Rapp
The Badgers re-tooled their roster in the transfer portal, and three of those additions are currently projected to be in the starting lineup: Nick Boyd, Andrew Rohde, and Austin Rapp.
Boyd was brought in to be the team’s point guard after averaging 13.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game this past season for San Diego State.
Rohde is a good shooter and a sneaky playmaker, having averaged 9.3 points and 4.3 assists while hitting 41.3 percent of his threes for Virginia in 2024.
Rapp, on the other hand, is only heading into his sophomore year, and adds to the pick-and-pop game for Wisconsin after averaging 13.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this season, while shooting over 35 percent from deep.
Wisconsin was expected to add a center, potentially even a starting one, but I’m not sure that Bieliauskas will enter the starting lineup as the center, as he himself is only 6’9 with not as big of a frame.
So, the projection seems to be a Rapp-Winter frontcourt, with the hope that the latter adds on some extra muscle to handle Big Ten centers.
Bench
Guard: Jack Janicki
Guard: Braeden Carrington
Guard: Zach Kinziger
Guard: Hayden Jones
Forward: Jack Robison
Forward: Aleksas Bieliauskas
Center: Riccardo Greppi
Wisconsin has a deep bench with three recruits coming in the Class of 2025, alongside a pool of returning and new talent.
Off the jump, Jack Janicki should slide into a bigger role as the lead guard off the bench after announcing his return to Wisconsin, while Braeden Carrington offers some depth as a 15-minute-per-game player who can shoot a bit (33.6 percent from deep in 2024), has solid size (6’4, 200 pounds), and experience.
The question in the guard rotation is how quickly Zach Kinziger can be ready to play. The freshman is definitely talented, hence why he’s a top-75 player in the freshman class, but may need some time to adjust size-wise to the physicality of the Big Ten.
But, Janicki and Carrington should be the top wings for the Badgers to spell the starting guards, while Aleksas Bieliauskas now steps into a top backup role at the forward spot.
Bieliauskas has good shooting percentages (over 39 percent from three), but could need some adjusting to the collegiate level as he makes the transition from overseas. He projects as the backup power forward/center, and could work alongside Austin Rapp or Nolan Winter as a reserve.
Wisconsin probably hopes that another scholarship player steps up as well next season to have some more depth, be it a center (Riccardo Greppi or Will Garlock) or a guy like Kinziger.
But, that is the expected rotation for the upcoming season, with the Badgers now at 13 scholarship players.
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