Wisconsin basketball announced its official returning core in advance of the 2026-27 season on Sunday.
Approximately one month after losing in the NCAA Tournament to No. 12 High Point, Wisconsin announced that senior center Nolan Winter, junior guard Jack Janicki, junior forward Austin Rapp, sophomore center Will Garlock, sophomore guard Hayden Jones, and sophomore guard Zach Kinziger would represent the school again this fall.
While none of the names are particularly unexpected, fans can be confident that this version of Wisconsin will stay intact after the spring transfer portal period.
Since the season finale, starting guard John Blackwell has committed to Duke, Nick Boyd has declared for the NBA draft, Aleksas Bieliauskas has transferred to South Carolina, and both Andrew Rohde and Braeden Carrington have used up their collegiate eligibility.
Wisconsin gained guard Trey Autry, winger Eian Elmer, and center Victory Onuetu via the portal. While these are wonderful additions, it’s crucial to recognize that all three will compete as seniors.
While those playmakers are expected to make significant contributions during the 2026-27 season, Winter and Rapp will handle the majority of the returning workload after productive performances during the 2025-26 window. Last season, Winter averaged 13. 1 points and a team-best 8. 5 rebounds in 30. 6 minutes per game, while Rapp scored 10. 7 points and 4. 0 rebounds in 23. 1 minutes each game.
