The Wisconsin Badgers got their offseason kicked off on Saturday with a big addition from the international pool, landing Australian point guard Owen Foxwell after flipping his commitment from the LSU Tigers.
Foxwell, 22, has played in the NBL, where he averaged 11.1 points and 4.5 assists in the NBL last season while shooting 41.1 percent from the field, 35.2 percent from three, and 80 percent from the free-throw line. He’s expected to be the top guard for the Badgers this season running the offense,
being lauded as a playmaker and quality defender.
He steps into the void left by Nick Boyd, who was a senior this past season, and gives the Badgers an experienced, older guard at a position of need.
With Foxwell in the fold, the Badgers have one of their needs addressed, but still have some work to do when it comes to roster configuration. The biggest hurdle is retention, as the Badgers are hoping to bring back John Blackwell, Nolan Winter, Austin Rapp, and Aleksas Bieliauskas.
Those four are the biggest needs, and Wisconsin is also looking to have Jack Janicki, Hayden Jones, Will Garlock, and Zach Kinziger back next season.
Looking at that whole group, the Badgers could have eight returners from their roster in 2026. Foxwell makes that nine. Then, the Badgers have freshmen LaTrevion Fenderson and Jackson Ball locked in, bumping that number to 11. Wisconsin is also interested in a pair of uncommitted freshmen, Lithuanian forward Dominykas Daubaris and Zavier Zens, and is pushing to land one or two of the duo.
So, there are a lot of pieces that could be set for the Badgers for next season, diminishing the number of spots that they have to fill in the transfer portal.
The biggest question mark is Blackwell, who will undoubtedly get significant interest elsewhere. I’m not sure the Badgers will be the top team financially, so the hope is the rest of what they can offer tops all for Blackwell to return.
If Wisconsin gets him back, that could be their major addition/retention of the offseason. Wisconsin would then have a projected backcourt of Blackwell and Foxwell to run out for the 2026-27 season.
The next part of the equation is the frontcourt, where the Badgers are pushing hard to keep Winter, Rapp, and Bieliausksas. While size and physicality were questions this offseason, that is a strong trio for the Badgers, and paired with Will Garlock, would be Wisconsin’s frontcourt next season.
If the Badgers can retain Blackwell and keep their frontcourt mates in the fold, that leaves one key hole to fill in the transfer portal: a wing. With the offensive talent on the roster, adding a quality defender there that can shoot a bit would be the top need from the portal.
Depth-wise, the Badgers seem to be in good shape. They’ve got Janicki, Hayden Jones, and Kinziger back, who should compete for minutes on the wing. The frontcourt has great depth with the four players projected to return.
If there’s a spot to add a player, it could be another point guard to alleviate some of the pressure off their bench players and add another experienced guy into the fold. Wisconsin does have good experience returning, and they just added a 22-year-old point guard, so it’s not like they’re pressing for older players.
But they’d be in a good position with one more veteran, and should have the roster spots for that.
Overall, the number of spots available for the portal depends on one big decision: John Blackwell. If Wisconsin finds a way to retain Blackwell, they don’t have as big a need in the portal and likely won’t have the resources for a major splash.
But if they can’t keep the star guard, then that creates the need to land a scoring guard/wing, which would be the biggest focus in the portal.
Heading into the offseason, I expected Wisconsin to target three or four transfers this cycle. If they can get both of their freshmen targets, I think that number might only need to be three: Foxwell, a quality wing who can start, and a veteran reserve.
