Three things to watch during Wisconsin Badgers basketball's exhibition opener

Wisconsin basketball begins preparations for the 2026-27 season with its exhibition opener against UW-Parkside

Feb 25, 2026; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Nolan Winter (31) scores during the second half against the Oregon Ducks at Matthew Knight Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin basketball is once again ready to take center stage.

As preparations continue for next month's season opener, the Badgers begin their three-game exhibition schedule today against UW-Parkside (12 p.m./BTN+) at the Kohl Center in the 10th annual Garding Against Cancer game.

As is the case in today's world of college athletics, Wisconsin will debut a new-look 13-man roster that is a mix of experience in the UW program, experience in other programs, and talented international players.

Head coach Greg Gard said earlier this month that he believes the pieces of his team are really good. The question he'll need to find out over three exhibition games and a relatively light November nonconference schedule is how high their ceiling is.

Here are three things to watch in today's exhibition opener.

Mar 18, 2026; Dayton, OH, USA; SMU Mustangs guard Boopie Miller (2) shoots the ball over Miami (OH) RedHawks wing Eian Elmer (0) in the first half during a first four game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at University of Dayton Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A renewed focus on defense

There's little debate that the inability to consistently defend teams was the weakness of Wisconsin's 2025-26 roster. The Badgers finished 56th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency and 236th in points allowed. UW gave up 85 points 10 times last season, and Gard admitted that last year's roster never quite came together on the defensive side of the ball.

Heightening the focus on defensive players in the portal, the Badgers added Eian Elmer from Miami (OH) and Victory Onuetu from Hofstra. Elmer played for a championship program last season in the Redhawks, and was third on the team with 12.7 points per game, but his real strength was being the team's second-best defensive player with a 1.5 defensive performance rating, per EvanMiya.com. He led the team in rebounding (5.2 per game), delivered 42 steals and 23 blocks.

Onuetu's addition gives Wisconsin a true rim protector Gard hasn't truly had in his tenure. Onuetu scored a little bit last season (4.7 ppg, 56.6 FG%), but his big contribution was defense. He recorded 34 blocks and had a 2.06 DPR, per EvanMiya.com. How his game will translate to the Big Ten level is intriguing, but Onuetu delivered nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and two steals in an NCAA Tournament game against Alabama last March.

Gard said the key to building good defense is playing outside competition and defending an offense that is foreign to them where they don't know the play calls. He said he believes this year's group has got to the point of being able to compete against a different team "quicker than most" because of the experience in the room.

"They understand how important (defense) is going to be," Gard said. "We've talked about that for months since we got here in June of what we needed to improve defensively. I think the physical size of us, we're as big as we've been in a long time, and the depth. The depth piece I'll have to work through in terms of a true rotation when we get to that point, but they are extremely competitive."

Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) and Wisconsin forward Austin Rapp (22) battle for the loose ball during the first half of Big Ten Tournament semifinal at United Center in Chicago on Saturday, March 14, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Big is Back

Wisconsin doesn't have a Nick Boyd on its roster, a savvy veteran point guard who brought buckets full of offensive energy. The coaching staff countered his absence by beefing up its frontcourt, starting the season with a four-man rotation of forwards who are all listed at 6-10 or higher.

"If you watch the trends in college basketball, big is back," Gard said. "We're going to have to utilize where our strengths are, and that's a lot of pieces up front."

Retaining Nolan Winter for a fourth season was easily Wisconsin's biggest offseason acquisition. His game took a gigantic leap in his second year in the starting lineup, averaging 13.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. He also recorded 12 double-doubles, the second-most in the conference. He was the only UW player named to the preseason All-Big Ten Team.

After getting benched in November and fighting through sickness/injury in January, Austin Rapp found his footing in the second half of the season and became an invaluable piece. He became a sharpshooter by season's end, scoring 17 points on four threes in UW's win at No. 15 Purdue (March 7) and 18 points in the second half against Michigan in the Big Ten Semifinals.

The best thing for UW was that both projected starters missed time this summer, which allowed second-year center Will Garlock and Onuetu to receive valuable reps. Garlock appeared in 30 games as a true freshman and was one of UW's better passers.

"There were days where they didn't come off (the floor)," Gard said of Garlock and Onuetu. "They just stayed out through the whole practice, and they obviously had to be on opposite teams ... You just watch the competitive level grow in each of them. I think they pushed each other."

Throw in the 6-6, 222-pound listed frame of Elmer, who is likely going to be the Badgers' starting wing, UW will approach its high-efficiency offensive model slightly differently this fall.

Wisconsin guard Braeden Carrington (0) misses a basket while being guard by Michigan guard Nimari Burnett (4) and forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) during the first half of their semifinal game in the Big Ten tournament Saturday, March 14, 2026 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

What will Carrington's role be?

Wisconsin purposely didn't fill its final roster spot when the transfer portal closed in the spring, wanting to keep its options open with the college landscape quickly changing. That decision has likely led an old friend to rejoin the roster.

While his status is still in limbo as lawsuits work through the court system, graduated guard Braeden Carrington looks like he'll be suited up for the Badgers this exhibition season and, possibly, this upcoming season in a reserve role.

The NCAA's governing body passed a new "five-in-five" eligibility model this offseason, giving athletes five seasons of competition within a five-year period that begins from the time they enroll or the academic year following their 19th birthday. The rule was developed as a way to eliminate the number of waivers being granted in recent seasons, especially by athletes who had already graduated college and had started a professional career.

However, the decision not to grandfather in last year's graduating class to the rule resulted in a lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order that was granted in August. While that has played out, Carrington has been working out with Wisconsin throughout the summer and fall in anticipation of playing.

Carrington was signed prior to last season for his defense but ended up having a bigger offensive impact. He averaged 8.3 points per game off the bench and shot 40.1 percent from the 3-point range. His highlight was scoring 32 points off the bench against Washington in the Big Ten Tournament with a program-record nine threes.

UW will be in a tight spot if Carrington is ultimately deemed ineligible. The Badgers already lost one player from their roster with freshman Josh Manchester having shoulder surgery. UW losing a second guard will probably force the staff to try to add a player, which will likely yield few quality options with less than a month to go before the season.