Wisconsin has appeared in 25 of the last 27 NCAA tournaments. Whether the Badgers get back there again this season depends on how well they replace the backcourt tandem of Nick Boyd and John Blackwell, who combined for nearly 40 points per game last season. High Point upset Wisconsin 83-82 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
Nolan Winter is back for his senior year as a four-year contributor at the same power-conference school,
a rarity in today’s game. The 7-footer had 13.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game last season while collecting 12 double-doubles to rank second in the Big Ten. … Braeden Carrington got a boost in his bid for a fifth season of eligibility when an injunction was granted on Oct. 20. The 6-foot-5 guard had 8.3 points per game last season and scored 20 in a preseason win over Green Bay. … Austin Rapp, a 6-10 Australian forward, had 9.7 points per game last season. ... Jack Janicki has appeared in 63 games the last two seasons and provides plenty of energy.
Owen Foxwell, a 23-year-old newcomer, should make a major impact after playing five years in Australia’s National Basketball League. The 6-2 guard had 21 points and six assists against Green Bay. … Eian Elmer and Victory Onuetu transferred to Wisconsin after playing in the NCAA Tournament last season. Elmer, a 6-6 guard, averaged 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds at Miami (Ohio). Onuetu, a 6-11 forward from Spain, averaged 4.7 points and 6.9 rebounds for Hofstra. … The departures of Boyd and Blackwell leave a major void. Boyd had 20.7 points per game in his last season of eligibility. Blackwell transferred to Duke after averaging 19.1 points per game.
Wisconsin’s notable nonconference games include a Dec. 5 trip to Marquette, a Dec. 12 visit to Villanova and a Dec. 19 matchup with Auburn at Nashville, Tennessee. The Badgers play Seton Hall on Nov. 19 in their first game at the Baha Mar Championship in Nassau, Bahamas, an event that also includes N.C. State and Murray State. Wisconsin has two games with No. 3 Illinois: Jan. 2 at home and Feb. 28 at Champaign. Other dates with preseason Top 25 teams are Jan. 16 at No. 21 Southern California, Jan. 19 at No. 22 UCLA, Feb. 6 at home against No. 16 Michigan and March 6 at No. 6 Michigan State.
Although the Big Ten doesn’t release an official preseason forecast, a media poll annually conducted by The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch had Wisconsin finishing 11th. … The Big Ten did have a media panel name a preseason all-Big Ten team, and Winter was included on that list. … Wisconsin made a school-record 11.7 3-pointers per game last season. The Badgers scored 83 points per game, their third-highest average ever.
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