Wisconsin Basketball Star Receives Early Offseason Wooden Award Hype

For all of the high-profile additions Wisconsin basketball made this offseason, from flipping Australian point guard Owen Foxwell from LSU to reeling in Miami transfer Eian Elmer, the biggest move the Badgers made was retaining star forward Nolan Winter.

Mobile, sharpshooting seven-footers don't simply grow on trees, especially rising senior, program stalwarts such as Winter.

The uniquely gifted forward's return gives the Badgers a big-time centerpiece upon which to build. Winter's ability to stress defenses from everywhere on the court coupled with his size and athleticism have him positioned to be one of the best players in the Big Ten in 2026-27.

Running it back in Madison after a stellar junior year in which he averaged 13.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 blocks while posting 57/33/74 shooting splits, Winter has begun to get some of the attention he deserves.

The forward was given the 19th-best odds in the Big Ten to win the John Wooden award, the most prestigious award in the sport given to the nation's best player.

Preseason National POY odds for Big Ten players.. 21 names were listed pic.twitter.com/CiZa5d68Us
— ᗩᑎT ᗯᖇIGᕼT (@itsAntWright) July 16, 2026

Winter is the only Badger listed on DraftKings' initial Wooden Awards odds. Sitting at +15,000, he's clearly considered a massive long-shot to take home the hardware. Still, Winter's inclusion on this list means the nation has taken notice of what Wisconsin's star forward is capable of.

Winter's path to the Wooden

Once again, the Big Ten is absolutely loaded with high-end talent. The rich (Illinois, Michigan State, Michigan) got richer once again this offseason, which is clear as day from the early Wooden odds. But Wisconsin has made a habit out of surpassing expectations with a group of slept-on players; 2026-27 should be no different.

Ultimately, it's understandable why Winter is the lone Badger included on this list. Still, there's an argument to be made that Foxwell and Elmer should be considered as well, but both are significantly more unknown quantities.

If Winter wants to take home the top award in the sport next season, it's going to take an enormous leap. 20-plus points and 10-plus rebounds per game, while shooting close to 40 percent from deep, feels like the floor for what Winter needs to accomplish if he even wants to sniff the Wooden Award finalists. It's certainly not out of the question; he's grown tremendously each and every year in Madison.

Wisconsin's senior center is a definite long-shot at the prestegious honor. But to even be included in the odds at this stage of the offseason is an honor in and of itself. Though the Badgers as a team may not receive the same respect, Winter will enter his senior season quite highly regarded on the national scale.

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