3 needs for the Badgers in the transfer portal this offseason

Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Austin Rapp (22) reacts during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the High Point Panthers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images The Wisconsin Badgers saw their season come to an end last week during the first round of the NCAA Tournament, as they fell to the High Point Panthers 83-82 to go home packing early. They were the lone top-five seed to get upset in the first round, derailing what had been a promising end to the season with a talented roster.

Unfortunately, now it’s time to revert to the offseason, where head coach Greg Gard and his staff will have their hands full once again with some key roster decisions. A big part of the offseason equation is roster retention. The Badgers will have some key players they’ll want to come back, and I broke down the picture of the current roster coming back in 2026 over the weekend.

The other part of the picture is the transfer portal, where Wisconsin will surely be a player once again after hitting paydirt in the last few cycles. In the 2022 offseason, the Badgers brought in Max Klesmit and Kamari McGee, who were Wisconsin natives who ended up playing key roles for the team over the next three seasons. In the 2023 offseason, Wisconsin hit big with St.

John’s transfer AJ Storr, who had a breakout campaign in Madison and was viewed as an NBA prospect before ultimately electing to come back to college. In 2024? It was John Tonje, who was arguably the best transfer in the country that year, becoming an All-American and leading one of the best teams in the Greg Gard era.