Update on center Nolan Winter intentions for his final season of college eligibility

MADISON, Wis. - Nolan Winter is preventing the University of Wisconsin from going through a complete rebuild.

While Winter has not officially signed paperwork to lock in his return to the Badgers in 2026-27 to complete his eligibility, a program source says Winter is returning, providing Wisconsin with a significant building block to attract potential transfers as the staff retools its roster.

Winter's retention became vitally important to Wisconsin after classmate John Blackwell announced on Monday that he's entering the NBA Draft process and the transfer portal, doing so to "chase the highest level I can reach." CBB Content was first to announce Winter's intentions.

Wisconsin senior center Nolan Winter has not officially signed any paperwork yet but the #Badgers expect him to return next season, per a source.

Huge retention for Greg Gard. Winter averaged 13.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game last season.@CBBcontent was first
— Benjamin Worgull (@TheBadgerNation) April 9, 2026

Losing Winter to a similar fate would be equally as devastating, if not more so. The junior is coming off his best college season and one of the best for a Big Ten frontcourt player. After averaging 9.4 points and 5.8 rebounds as a sophomore in his first season as a starter, Winter averaged 13.1 points and 8.5 rebounds on 56.9 percent shooting in 31 starts.

He finished the season with 12 double-doubles, the third-most by a UW player since the 2000-01 season, and a 133.4 offensive rating, per KenPom, ranked 20th in the country.

Winter shot 70.1 percent on two-point field goals last season, making him the first qualifying Big Ten player since the 1986-87 season to shoot at least 70 percent inside the arc.

Since the 1992-93 season, Winter is the conference's best two-point field goal shooter, as his 69.35 percentage is slightly ahead of Hall of Famer Chris Webber (67.91 at Michigan).

Winter's decision and the return of junior Austin Rapp (9.7 ppg, 4.0 rbds) and sophomore Will Garlock (1.1 ppg, 1.1 rbds) mean the Badgers will retain three of its top forwards from last season's rotation. Sophomore Aleksas Bieliauskas (4.9 ppg, 4.4 rbds) announced he would transfer during the first day of the portal window.

UW will likely add another experience forward/center through the portal, especially since the Badgers don't have another projected frontcourt player on the roster, with reserves Riccardo Greppi and Jack Robison entering the portal.

The Badgers are also expected to target multiple guards in the portal to replace graduating seniors Nick Boyd, Braeden Carrington, and Andrew Rohde, and the transferring Blackwell. With Winter's announcement, the Badgers' 15-man roster stands at six returning players, two incoming high school freshmen, and one international freshman (point guard Owen Foxwell).