Ex-Gophers guard Braeden Carrington signs with rival Badgers in portal

Carrington, the 2022 Mr. Basketball in the state of Minnesota, is headed to Wisconsin after a year at Tulsa.

Dec 6, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Braeden Carrington (4) looks on during the first half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Williams Arena. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Former Gophers guard and Minnesota Mr. Basketball winner Braeden Carrington has signed with Wisconsin in the transfer portal, according to insider Matt Zenitz. After spending last season with Tulsa, the Brooklyn Park, MN native is back in the Big Ten with the rival Badgers.

Carrington was named Minnesota Mr. Basketball in 2022 to cap a stellar career at Park Center High School, which included a Class 4A state title in his senior year. A three-star recruit, he chose the Gophers over offers from Florida, Xavier, Missouri, and a couple other power five programs. It was a significant recruiting win for Ben Johnson at the time.

Unfortunately, Carrington's career didn't exactly take off with Minnesota. The 6'4" combo guard appeared in 22 games off the bench as a freshman in 2022-23, averaging 5.9 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting below 33 percent from the field. He appeared in 29 games the following year, starting ten of them, but his averages fell to 4.6 points and 3.2 rebounds as he shot 34 percent from the field and 22 percent from deep.

Last offseason, Carrington transferred to Tulsa, a low-level American Athletic Conference program. He played 29 games for the Golden Hurricane and started 19 of them, but he didn't see a major jump in his numbers. He averaged 7.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.6 steals + blocks while shooting 35 percent from the floor.

It'll be interesting to see if Carrington is even a rotation piece for the Badgers in his senior season. So far in his college career, he's struggled mightily with offensive efficiency and general production. He likely projects as a bench player and possible reserve for Wisconsin, which is coming off an outstanding season. The Badgers went 27-10 and were a No. 3 seed in this year's NCAA Tournament, but head coach Greg Gard loses key players John Tonje, Max Klesmit, Steven Crowl, and Kamari McGee this offseason.