Wisconsin Badgers will be without one of their frontcourt reserves against UCLA

Wisconsin will be down to three rotation frontcourt players when the Badgers take on UCLA at the Kohl Center.

Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard is shown during the second half of their game Saturday, January 3, 2026 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Purdue beat Wisconsin 89-73. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

MADISON, Wis. - University of Wisconsin's undermanned frontcourt will be a little thinner for a pivotal Big Ten home matchup.

Sophomore Austin Rapp, who has come off the bench the last seven games for the Badgers, has been ruled out tonight against UCLA (8 p.m./Peacock) with an undisclosed injury.

Availability update for @BadgerMBB

Sophomore Austin Rapp is OUT for tonight's game vs. UCLA with an injury.

8 p.m. || NBC SN / Peacock

— UW Stats & Info (@UWStatsInfo) January 6, 2026

The 6-10 Australian sophomore has struggled since transferring from Portland in the offseason. He started UW's first seven games, which included scoring a season-high 20 points (5-for-11 3FG) in a neutral-site win over Providence. Sandwiched around those two games was two less-than stellar efforts, a two-point, zero-rebound performance in UW's blowout loss to BYU and a two-point, three-turnover game in a loss to TCU.

Replaced in the starting lineup by freshman Aleksas Bieliauskas for the December 3 Big Ten opener against Northwestern, Rapp was averaging 7.1 points off the bench, including scoring 18 points and had seven rebounds in UW's win over Central Michigan.

A year after leading the West Coast Conference in three-pointers made (83), three-point percentage (35.4), and defensive rebounds per game, Rapp's numbers have dipped to just 21-for-73 from three (28.8) and 2.6 defensive rebounds per game.

Rapp's absence means freshman center Will Garlock is the lone backcourt reserve in the rotation, but sophomore Jack Robison (2.2 mpg) will likely see an increased role.

UCLA won't be at full strength, either, as senior guard Skyy Clark (13.5 ppg) will miss the game with a hamstring injury.

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