Wisconsin Gets a Big Boost From Transfer Big Man Against Delaware

Victory Onuetu isn’t like Badger bigs of the past. He’s not going to take five 3-pointers in a game, nor will he attack you off the dribble. But the Hofstra transfer presents an archetype in the frontcourt that Greg Gard simply hasn’t had.

Badger fans have grown accustomed to stretch and offensive-minded bigs, and with good reason. They’ve been at the forefront of much of the program's recent success. The fan base has also, however, called for Gard to add an athletic freak to his frontcourt. Enter Onuetu.

This isn’t one of those additions where it’s a perfect fit and all of a sudden the big man is an all-conference player, but it gives Gard more options to throw at opposing forwards and centers, especially in conference play.

Onuetu won’t be a big that plays 30-plus minutes like Nolan Winter or Austin Rapp, but he can certainly be a spark in shorter spurts. In his Wisconsin debut on Monday, Badger fans didn’t see much of him as he was in foul trouble, playing just eleven minutes, scoring six points and grabbing four rebounds.

Friday was a much better showing for Onuetu, who played 12 minutes in the first half alone. He finished with 11 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and most importantly, zero fouls.

“How about that?” Gard said postgame. “Apparently sitting on the bench is a great motivator because he plays without any fouls. And he had been in foul trouble every single game until I decided to make him another assistant coach.”

The size and frame stand out with Onuetu, but by staying on the floor for longer stretches, his other key attributes were on full display Friday. Running the floor hard is the most obvious of those attributes. His first bucket of the game was created by simply beating Delaware down the floor for an easy dunk. Not long after, he had another scoring opportunity in transition. That opportunity he wedgied but his hustle was not in question.

In one of the game’s highlight plays, Onuetu collapsed from the weak side to pin a shot against the backboard, logging his first block of the evening and grabbing an offensive rebound shortly after. Thanks to much improved discipline defensively, Onuetu was able to play more than six minutes consecutively to start the game and in that stretch, he showcased exactly what his impact can be.

Wisconsin's Victory Onuetu. — Wisconsin forward Victory Onuetu (6) is pursued by UW-Green Bay forward Tadej Colnaric (33) during the first half of their preseason game Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026 at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“He’s a very emotional, energetic person anyways but then you get the ball rolling a little bit and it snowballs for him in a good way,” Gard said. “I was happy to see that because we’ve coached him pretty hard and I know it’s been an adjustment for him, but it just shows what he can do.”

Also in the first half, Onuetu had a spectacular block at the rim converted an and-one off a post touch.

Early in the second half, there was a stretch where you could see what the big man still needs to clean up to be ready for a big-minute role in the Big Ten. In the first few minutes of the period, Onuetu missed a layup, had a lazy contest at the rim and allowed an offensive board. There wasn’t much to critique from his game on Friday, but that stretch gave a glimpse of what he’ll continue to work on as the season progresses.

To close his big night, he made up for his few mistakes with a spin and finish out of the dunker's spot, a hard post up where he drew a foul, an alley-oop layup and another offensive board.

Friday night was a glimpse of what Onuetu can be in this Wisconsin system if he can stay out of foul trouble and continue to grow and there was no shortage of compliments for him after the game.

“He’s a big dude,” Delaware head coach Martin Ingelsby said. “I think his physicality around the basket, he’s only going to get better in their system and how they play. We were really trying to limit him from an offensive standpoint but him getting a double-double, I think was kind of a big separator for them.”

Consistency will be the key for Onuetu. He gave the Badgers 20 exceptional minutes against Delaware, but he’s shown that he could just as easily end up on the bench with multiple fouls just a few minutes into the game. As Nolan Winter, Austin Rapp and Will Garlock continue finding their footing following injuries, the opportunities will be there for Onuetu, it’s up to him to deliver.

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