Wisconsin's Braeden Carrington doesn't worry about minutes, only his production for the Badgers

MADISON, Wis. - Braeden Carrington has played enough college basketball to know that things can't be taken personally. That doesn't mean comments don't stick with him a little bit.

After not appearing until 9:24 remained in Wisconsin's nonconference win over Milwaukee on December 30, Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard not-so-subtly said other players had earned minutes in practice. Those comments came a little more than a week after Gard said he had an "iron six" that set the standard of what was expected.

Carrington - who wasn't listed in that group - got the message.

"I've heard almost anything you can imagine," he said. "I don't fully brush it off, but it's one of those things you have to brush off. Next practice, you just got to go and work hard. When you get in, you got to work as hard as you can with the minutes you have and make the most of it. You let it affect you, you'll look worse than you were before."

After logging less than 10 minutes for five straight games, Carrington was one of the x-factors that helped Wisconsin register its 91-88 upset at No.2 Michigan on Saturday. Playing a season-high 27 minutes, Carrington had 12 points, four assists, and was credited with a career-high nine rebounds.

#Badgers Preview: The Gophers have been tough at home because they've forced teams to play their tempo. Wisconsin and its faster pace could be in for a grind tonight when it heads to Williams Arena https://t.co/ahBIRpVZsM
— Benjamin Worgull (@TheBadgerNation) January 13, 2026

It's exactly what the Badgers (11-5, 3-2 Big Ten) were looking for from him when he was the last guard they signed out of the portal, a Big Ten veteran who wouldn't be intimidated by raucous environments and able to fill the leadership void left by graduating reserves Carter Gilmore and Kamari McGee.

"We knew he could shoot, but his experience is hard to put a price tag on," Gard said. "You're looking across college basketball, the teams that are the most successful are old by nature. He was huge for us, but a microcosm of why we added him (from the portal). We felt we needed more experience without another backup."

Carrington has been through the wringer before, not knowing what his playing time would be, as the staff was upfront with him when they recruited him out of the portal, stating he wouldn't be guaranteed minutes.

Weeks later, he is not sure why he didn't play until midway through the second half against the Panthers because it doesn't matter to him, only that he needed to work harder and play smarter when he was on the floor.

A career 40 percent three-point shooter, Carrington said he felt defenders start to pinch him near the three-point line to prevent him from generating space to shoot. Prior to leaving for Michigan, he believed his next step was getting downhill to create for himself and his teammates. That mindset was evident the minute he stepped on the court in Ann Arbor.

He drove baseline to scramble the defense and hit forward Aleksas Bieliauskas cutting to the rim for an easy layup. With the game tied at 75 at 6:40, Carrington slipped behind Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg and got in the perfect position to rebound Nolan Winter's missed three pointer and make two free throws after drawing a foul. On the next possession, Carrington put the ball on the deck and attacked center Aday Mara at the rim, drawing another foul, two more free throws, and breaking another time.

A big momentum swing came just under the three-minute mark, when an unchecked Carrington attacked the basket, cleaned up a missed Blackwell three, and fed Andrew Rohde for a corner three to put UW up 88-84.

Carrington also helped keep the lead at least three in the final 32 seconds by going 3-for-4 from the line, including catching a baseball pass over the shoulder as he broke behind the defense. He finished 9-for-12 at the free-throw line, the most FTs and FTAs of his career. He finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and zero turnovers.

At one point, he flew into the Michigan bench to successfully record a defensive rebound.

Wisconsin guard Braeden Carrington (0) saves the ball from going out of bound during the second half against Michigan. — Wisconsin guard Braeden Carrington (0) saves the ball from going out of bound during the second half against Michigan at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

He defended aggressively while committing only one foul, including fighting through a screen to contest an open three by freshman Trey McKenney, delivering a one-on-one block against L.J. Cason at the rim that led to a Nick Boyd fastbreak layup, and cutting into the passing lane for a steal on three consecutive possessions.

All of the little plays added up, as Wisconsin outscored the Wolverines by 18 points when Carrington was on the floor.

"I think my biggest thing so far is adjusting to the new system," Carrington said. "It's a great system. I'm having fun ... It's getting in a rhythm, in a flow, finding my shot, and find out where I can fit in and help this team. That's my biggest challenge this past month."

The challenge tonight will be of a different kind for Carrington against Minnesota (10-6, 3-2) at Williams Arena, a team and building he called home for two years.

Carrington was Minnesota’s Mr. Basketball in 2022 after winning the Class 4A title at Park Center. He was the first in-state player in his class to commit to then-Gophers coach Ben Johnson and averaged 5.2 points per game in 51 games over two seasons.

Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Braeden Carrington (4) works towards the basket as Ohio State Buckeyes forward Jamison Battle. — Feb 22, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Braeden Carrington (4) works towards the basket as Ohio State Buckeyes forward Jamison Battle (10) and guard Bruce Thornton (2) defend during the first half at Williams Arena. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

He's been working on gathering tickets since before the season started. He's got 10 so far and hopes to get upwards of 10 more, but has to fight off Minnesota natives Jack Janicki, Jack Robison, and Winter.

"It's hard when you got a couple Minnesota guys," he joked. "We all fight over them."

After his play on Saturday, perhaps he'll earn a few more comps.

"I've been waiting for this the whole year," Carrington said. "I'm excited for the fans, the family ... I dunno. I'm kind of speechless when you go back because it's one of those things where you start at Minnesota, ending up here and playing there, you never thought it would happen."

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