Key Wisconsin Badgers Forward Confirms His Return for 2026-27

Wisconsin has locked up a key piece of its rotation for the 2026-27 season.

Forward Austin Rapp — who averaged 9.7 points and 4.0 rebounds — will return to Madison, he announced Sunday night.

Run it back ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ptAsqZoCgU
— austin rapp (@austinrappp) April 13, 2026

This is a massive retention for the Badgers, who now bring back a key forward after losing starter Aleksas Bieliausks to the transfer portal shortly after it opened.

Rapp, a 6-foot-10 Australian stretch big man, began his career with the Portland Pilots of the West Coast Conference. Wisconsin nabbed him out of the transfer portal ahead of his sophomore year, and he quickly earned a starting role in Madison.

However, he wasn't able to hold it down. Rapp was removed from the starting five after seven games. In that time, he struggled offensively, hitting just 35.5 percent of his shots from the field and 29.3 percent from downtown.

A move to the bench meant Rapp's production tended to be sporadic. Still, he took real strides towards the back half of the season, both as a scorer and on the defensive end. He re-entered the starting five when Nolan Winter got hurt in March, but after the Badgers initially demoted Rapp from starter status? He knocked down 39 percent of his threes the rest of the way, from Dec. 3 onwards.

What Rapp's return means

Rapp's retention is a big deal for multiple reasons, but for one, he's a perfect fit for Wisconsin's recently revamped offense. His ability to knock down shots from the outside, especially at 6-foot-10, opens up so many things for the Badgers' attack.

The Australian also displayed an electric ability to get scorching hot from distance. In Wisconsin's narrow loss to Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament, he knocked down five threes in a row to bring the Badgers back to life. In Wisconsin's wins over Purdue, Illinois and Iowa, he hit four triples in each game.

Rapp has two years of eligibility remaining, and he still has plenty of room to grow. Though he has excellent size at 6-foot-10 and nearly 240 pounds, he wasn't exactly a force on the interior as a sophomore. He averaged 4.0 rebounds, a solid but not overwhelming presence on the glass. He never pulled down double-digit boards, and was held to less than five in 19 games.

The forward also shot 41.9 percent from the field and 55.1 percent from two, both of which can be improved upon, especially at his size.

Rapp's return to Madison also locks down the Badgers' front court for 2026-27, with Nolan Winter all but re-signed as well. With Winter at the five, Rapp at the four and incoming Australian point guard Owen Foxwell at the one, Wisconsin's theoretical starting five is beginning to come together.