Greg Gard Could Have His Busiest Transfer Portal Season Yet

With forwards Jack Robison and now Riccardo Greppi set to enter the transfer portal when it opens on April 7, Wisconsin's roster for 2026-27 is slowly taking shape.

Both players were expected to depart the program given their lack of playing time across two seasons and obscure paths to significant roles. Neither was given much of a chance to develop in two years, and neither flashed any sustained potential that makes their departure hard to swallow.

With the bottom of the Badgers' rotation trimmed, and the two most obvious portal entries having declared, Wisconsin's roster now stands at 10 players (out of a possible 15) ahead of the monumental respective decisions of juniors John Blackwell and Nolan Winter.

Current Projected 2026-27 Scholarship Distribution

Position	Freshman	R-Freshman	Sophomore	Junior	Senior
Guard	- Jackson Ball - LaTrevion Fenderson		- Hayden Jones - Zach Kinziger	- Jack Janicki	- John Blackwell
Forward			- Will Garlock - Aleksas Bieliauskas	- Austin Rapp	- Nolan Winter

Of course, the impending decisions of Blackwell and Winter loom large. They'll determine not just how active the Badgers are in the portal, but their entire portal strategy. If Blackwell departs, it's all hands on deck in the backcourt. If he stays, Wisconsin has some breathing room and some positional flexibility with Blackwell's experience taking the ball up the court in 2024-25.

If Winter departs, Wisonsin must assess how much it trusts its (presumed) three returning forwards in Austin Rapp, Aleksas Bieliauskas and Will Garlock. Do the Badgers target a starter-level player for their frontcourt, or look for a potential journyman backup?

Even if both Blackwell and Winter elect to run it back in Madison — which seems like a less likely outcome but still entirely plausible — Wisconsin has five spots to fill on its roster.

The Badgers operated with just 14 players this past season due to the team cutting ties with Temple transfer Elijah Grey before the season began. But at the very least, Wisconsin is poised to sign five transfers, and that number could swell to six or even seven depending on the decisions of its two star juniors.

Last season, Gard and company signed five transfers, four of whom ultimately made the team. All wound up being crucial members of the rotation.

Greg Gard's Transfer Portal History

Greg Gard has had plenty of success in the portal, but Nick Boyd could be his best signing yet. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Year	Incoming Transfers
2016	N/A
2017	N/A
2018	N/A
2019	- Micah Potter, F
2020	N/A
2021	- Jahcobi Neath, G - Chris Vogt, F - Isaac Lindsey, G
2022	- Kamari McGee, G - Max Klesmit, G
2023	- AJ Storr, G
2024	- John Tonje, G - Xavier Amos, F - Camren Hunter, G
2025	- Nick Boyd, G - Andrew Rohde, G - Braeden Carrington, G - Austin Rapp, F - Elijah Gray, F

With at least five and as many as seven roster spots open, 2026 is set to be another hectic year for Wisconsin Basketball in the transfer portal. Buckle up.