Former Badgers' Sharpshooter Eyeing Additional Season in Madison

Could a reunion with a 40 percent three-point shooter be in store for the Badgers?

Wisconsin Badgers guard Braeden Carrington. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Wisconsin basketball's roster looks talented and well rounded ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

That's the case even with just 14 players currently on the team — the Badgers have one more roster spot available, and they're keeping all potential doors open in terms of how they fill it.

One potential option for that final spot? Former sharpshooting guard Braeden Carrington, who spent his senior season in Madison and developed into one of the most dangerous shooters off the bench in the Big Ten.

Carrington was recently included in an age-based eligibility lawsuit against the NCAA, which includes over 45 athletes attempting to secure another season of eligibility to play in 2026-27. Each athlete is a class of 2022 recruit who played four full years of college basketball and is now ineligible for a fifth season despite the recent "five-for-five" rule being passed.

Among the other notable athletes included in the suit are UCLA's Donovan Dent and Texas' Jordan Pope.

An Ohio judge granted a preliminary injunction for two dozen athletes fighting for eligibility based on the new model, and Carrington is now part of the second wave of lawsuits, this time in California.

“I don’t know where he’s at in terms of (the injunction)...that thing is changing by the hour, I don’t know what his intentions are, if he’s gonna get involved in that," Gard said at Wisconsin's first open practice of the summer on Tuesday.

It's safe to say Carrington's intentions are now clear. And considering he was spotted at Wisconsin's practice Tuesday, we can also assume he knows where he wants to play if he's in fact deemed eligible.

What would the addition of Carrington mean for the 2026-27 squad?

Wisconsin Badgers guard Braeden Carrington. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The former Minnesota Gopher and Tulsa Hurricane Carrington's season got off to a something of a slower start, but he still immediately proved to be arguably Wisconsin's best three-point shooter. When all was said and done, Carrington shot 40.1 percent from deep on 5.1 attempts per game, leading the Badgers' regular contributors in three-point percentage.

Carrington was a bench piece, yes, but he was also Wisconsin's first guard off the bench and the de-facto sixth man. Much more than just an added scoring punch off the bench, he displayed the ability to get scorching hot and at times, take over games. Against Washington on Feb. 28, he knocked down a whopping nine three-pointers en route to a 32-point performance.

Take a gander at the Badgers' current projected rotation, and Carrington would likely immediately be Wisconsin's first guard off the bench once again with a legit chance to compete for that starting two-guard role.

Wisconsin is currently relying on some development from its reserve guards, namely Hayden Jones and Zach Kinziger. But the addition of Carrington would instantly make this team exponentially deeper, more dangerous and more explosive offensively.