Wisconsin Badgers have looked at adding a mid-season contributor

MADISON, Wis. - With the University of Wisconsin about to restart Big Ten play, head coach Greg Gard likes to the group of players he's going to work with.

That's not to say the Badgers aren't looking to add a player to fill their vacant roster spot, especially if, "Michael Jordan fell out of the sky," he quipped. So, while the Badgers are going to push forward into their Saturday matchup with No.5 Purdue, Gard admitted that the program has kicked the tires on adding another player over the last several weeks.

"We've talked to people in terms of agents that are representing different individuals, but nothing really got legs enough to make it or for even (the) other things we would have to move through," Gard told reporters Thursday. "At this point in time, I haven't shut the door on it. I don't see anybody out there that makes it worthwhile going through."

Adding players mid year has become a hot topic this season in the new era of college athletics. USC added former Robert Morris guard Kam Woods in late December after guard Rodney Rice suffered a season-ending injury. The most notable addition was Baylor signing former NBA draft pick James Nnaji, who was the 31st overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft but never played an NBA game and has been playing internationally since 2020.

Wisconsin is in the position of having an open roster spot because the Badgers dismissed Temple transfer forward Elijah Gray in late October. UW said privacy laws prevented them from sharing more information, but Gray was named in an ESPN report that tied him to an NCAA gambling investigation.

Adding a player mid-season at Wisconsin, according to Gard, comes with a number of questions.

"We're looking at do we have any money left?" Gard said. "What's your cap at? Are you allowed to with campus-wide, department-wide numbers For Title IX? Can you add one? Do you have to add a DSA (designated student-athlete)?"

The DSA label comes from an amended proprosal from the House vs. NCAA settlement. While the settlement immediately cut roster sizes (men's basketball went from 17 to 15 spots), the proposal gave schools the option of grandfathering in any athlete, who was cut or lost a scholarship offer because of roster limits. Those players wouldn’t count against the roster limit for the remainder of their eligibility no matter if they transfer from their original school.

DSAs can transfer to another Division I school without any restrictions, and they still won't count against the new school's roster cap, making them attractive options.

While there would be academic hurdles getting a player into Wiscosnin, Gard said adding a player comes down to one thing: the asking price.

"The most important thing, the answer is money," Gard said. "You have to operate within that, too. Some schools have a bottomless bucket. We're in a good situation, but none of us are the same. It is what it is."

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