Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard calls new transfer portal rules a step in the right direction

Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard is a fan of the newest changes to the basketball transfer portal but thinks more work needs to be done.

Dec 19, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard looks on in the second half against the Villanova Wildcats at the Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The NCAA announced it would be changing the transfer portal window for men's and women's basketball, among other sports, Wednesday.

It shortened the transfer portal window from 30 days to 15 days. Instead of starting after the second round of the NCAA Tournament, it will begin after the National Championship Game.

For 2026, that means the men's basketball transfer portal window will be open from April 7-21.

Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard sees it as a positive development.

"Getting it at the end or after the season is important. I think shortening it is important. I don't think it's an end-all, in any way, shape or form." Gard said after Thursday's practice. "I think it's definitely a step in the right direction to try and get some type of sanity back into that time of year."

Wisconsin leaned heavily into the transfer portal last offseason, bringing in Nick Boyd, Andrew Rohde, Austin Rapp and Braeden Carrington. They also lost their fair share of players to the portal.

The shortening of the window and shift of dates could help consolidate a program's efforts, but more changes could still be necessary.

"It's good to see that... They listened to the coaches in this regard, which they haven't done enough of, but this is something we definitely pounded home from a coaches standpoint, that this thing had to get shorter," Gard said. "It's foolish for us to be doing this during the season."

By the time the portal opened last season, Wisconsin had already been eliminated from the NCAA Tournament, losing to BYU in the Round of 32.

But before the portal opens, coaching staffs have to identify and scout players to determine if they want to bring them into the program and find out if the interest is mutual.

That meant double-duty for certain members of the staff and front office, potentially having to prepare for games while also sifting through hundreds of possible portal players.

In addition to the traditional transfer portal window changes, if a school changes its head coach, players will have a 15-day window to enter the transfer portal beginning five days after the new head coach is announced or after 30 days if a new coach isn't hired.

If the head coaching change is made after Jan. 1, players will have to wait until the traditional window in April.

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