Wisconsin Badgers star Nolan Winter suffers ankle injury in win over Maryland

The Badgers could have significant injury concerns entering the Big Ten Tournament

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. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Madison, WI -- A joyous Kohl Center crowd fell silent in the second half of the Wisconsin Badgers' blowout win over Maryland, as star big man Nolan Winter sustained an apparent ankle injury.

The forward went up for a put-back lay-in off a missed Braeden Carrington three-pointer and landed on top of Maryland's George Turkson after making the basket.

The Kohl Center is dead silent right now.

Nolan Winter with a bad ankle injury. pic.twitter.com/wuntJwEGUO

— Brandon Meeks (@MeeksKnowsBall) March 5, 2026

Winter looked to be in significant pain while clutching his left ankle.

After being attended to by the Badgers medical staff for a short period, Winter was helped to the floor and escorted to the locker room with a towel over his head. The junior wasn't able to put any weight on his left leg.

He's helped off the court without being able to put any weight on his leg. #Badgers https://t.co/2LexnFH3uN

— Cam Wilhorn (@CamWilhorn) March 5, 2026

Greg Gard was optimistic postgame that Winter won't be out for long, if he has to miss time.

"Early indications (are), hopefully, we avoided the worst," Gard said before noting Winter would be undergoing further testing and evaluations over the next 24 hours. "He was in decent spirits in the locker room and stuff. He's already doing treatment."

Still, the injury comes very close to the postseason, as Wisconsin wraps up its regular season Saturday against Purdue and begins the Big Ten tournament next March 12.

Wisconsin's matchup with Purdue has conference tournament implications, as both teams have 13-6 conference records.

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Losing Winter for any period of time would be amajor blow to the Badgers, as Winter is the lone upper classman in the frontcourt and is the team's leading rebounder.

Leading up to Wednesday's game, Winter was averaging 13.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 blocks while shooting 57 percent from the field. He recorded seven points, six rebounds, one block and one steal in 21 minutes before sustaining the injury.

Outside of Winter, Wisconsin would have to lean on freshmen Aleksas Bieliauskas and Will Garlock to fill the center minutes, while Austin Rapp and Braeden Carrington or John Blackwell would likely fill the power forward position.

Related: Wisconsin Badgers' young frontcourt putting physicality on display in Top 10 wins

After exiting the game with 7:01 remaining, Winter did not emerge from the locker room.