Badgers Have a Scrappy Defender in Trey Autry: 'It's Just How Much You Want it'

Much ink has already been spilled about Wisconsin's lackadaisical defense in 2025-26, and one of the main storylines this offseason is how the Badgers plan on addressing it.

For as entertaining and explosive as the Badgers were last season, they didn't necessarily have good enough defenders in either the frontcourt or the backcourt. It cost them repeatedly until it culminated in a humiliating loss to High Point in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Head coach Greg Gard and company restocked the team for 2026-27, and the makeup of this year's squad looks much different than last year's roster.

One of those big differences? Wisconsin should have a stable of reliable on-ball defenders who can proficiently lock down their man while also creating havoc in the form of turnovers and fastbreaks.

George Washington transfer Trey Autry falls squarely into that category. Known primarily as a sharpshooting perimeter guard, Autry made it clear while speaking to reporters following the Badgers' first open practice of the summer that he prides himself on the defensive end of the court.

Autry's defensive mindset

“Kinda just wanting it more than everyone. There’s different levels of athleticism, there’s always gonna be those quicker, faster people, but at the end of the day it’s just how much you want it. The toughness aspect of it," he said.

Autry's three-point shooting is certainly going to come in handy for a Badgers team that takes more three-point shots than almost anyone in the country. But the clear willingness to give everything he has on the defensive end is exactly what Wisconsin needs, and quite honestly, not something it had last season.

The two other transfers the Badgers brought in, Miami's Eian Elmer and Hofstra's Victory Onuetu, are both lauded defenders as well. But Elmer is a lanky, bouncy 6-foot-7 wing while Onuetu is one of the more athletic 6-foot-11 human beings you'll see. Autry, who stands at 6-foot-4, knows he can't just rely on his athleticism to carry his defense.

"So that’s where I try to pride myself," he continued. "Not being seven-foot, or running a 4.1, or having a 10-foot wingspan like a lot of these guys, I just try to pride it in my heart. I take pride in wanting it more than the person in front of me.”

Again, this is the exact mindset the Badgers need. Wisconsin's offensive revolution has written most of the headlines the past few seasons, but if Gard wants to take this team where it hasn't been in nine years (the Sweet 16), defensive improvement is mandatory. It appears the Badgers have the right people in the building to make that happen.

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