Wisconsin basketball released its official returning nucleus ahead of the 2026-27 season Sunday.
Roughly one month removed from its NCAA Tournament loss to No. 12 High Point, Wisconsin announced senior center Nolan Winter, junior guard Jack Janicki, junior forward Austin Rapp, sophomore center Will Garlock, sophomore guard Hayden Jones and sophomore guard Zach Kinziger will represent UW once again this fall.
While none of the names come as much of a surprise, fans can rest assured that this version of Wisconsin will remain intact following the spring transfer portal window.
Since the season finale, starting guard John Blackwell committed to Duke, Nick Boyd declared for the NBA draft, Aleksas Bieliauskas transferred to South Carolina, and both Andrew Rohde and Braeden Carrington exhausted their collegiate eligibility.
All for the 👐Excited to have these guys back in Madtown pic.twitter.com/kQ8Bi8H953
In the portal, Wisconsin acquired guard Trey Autry, wing Eian Elmer, and big man Victory Onuetu. While those are great additions, it's important to note that all three will compete as seniors.
While those playmakers figure to make notable contributions during the course of the 2026-27 campaign, Winter and Rapp will assume the bulk of the returning workload following productive showings in the 2025-26 window. Winter averaged 13.1 points and a team-best 8.5 boards in 30.6 minutes per game a season ago, while Rapp notched 10.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest in 23.1 minutes per appearance.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin Badgers Basketball Official Returners 2026-27 Season