What is Wisconsin's basketball most important offseason move?
What is Wisconsin's basketball most important offseason move?
Many fans are excited about Wisconsin basketball's top-ranked transfer portal recruiting class, and rightfully so. But while landing top targets in the portal is key, it might not be the most important factor in sustainable winning.
That true X-factor may be returning production, with many teams struggling during March Madness due to failed player retention from the prior offseason. Luckily for Wisconsin in 2025-26, while its transfer haul is impressive, the team is set to be led by returning starters John Blackwell and Nolan Winter.
College basketball statistician Evan Miyakawa has done a ton of research about the optimal roster construction techniques. He found that it is more important for team success to return key contributors from the previous season rather than start fresh with a ton of top transfers. His study also found that not only is player retention extremely important for team production, but landing transfers with multiple years of eligibility is crucial as well. While transfer additions Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde only have one year of eligibility remaining, transfer forward Austin Rapp joins the program with three years left, which is why his addition over top programs including Michigan was such a major win for the Badgers' staff.
Additionally, Miyakawa's research showed that only six of the twenty teams in the past four seasons with a low percentage of returning production made the NCAA Tournament. Wisconsin isn't returning near the 50% threshold that Miyakawa suggests as optimal, but the team is still returning about 38% of last year's production, which is still impressive in this current age of college basketball.
It has also become clear that not only do teams that have a large amount of returning production do well in the regular season, but they also have a ton of success in March Madness. The only exception to this was Duke, which was led by star freshmen Cooper Flagg and Kon Kueppel. The Blue Devils are generally an anomaly, considering how many blue-chip recruits they land annually. But even with those high-profile recruits, Duke still didn't make the national championship, which further proves Miyakawa's point that roster continuity and retention is the highest priority for top college basketball programs.
Overall, this data is favorable for the Badgers, considering they return more production than most Power Four teams, headlined by potential stars in Blackwell and Winter. Those two, combined with top portal additions in Boyd, Rohde, and Rapp, set Wisconsin up nicely to have success both in Big Ten play and potentially in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Report: BYU's Egor Demin invited to green room at NBA draft
Former BYU guard Egor Demin was one of 13 NBA draft hopefuls who received a green-room invite for this year's event, ESPN's Jonathan Givony reported Tuesday afternoon. Along with Demin, the other 12 invitees include Duke's Cooper Flagg, the projected top overall draft pick, as well as Rutgers' Ace Bailey, Arizona's Carter Bryant, Baylor's VJ Edgecombe, Oklahoma's Jeremiah Fears, Rutgers' Dylan Harper, Illinois' Kasparas Jakucionis, Texas' Tre Johnson, Duke's Kon Knueppel, Duke's Khaman Maluach, Georgia's Asa Newell and Maryland's Derik Queen. Another 11 green-room invites will also be extended, according to Givony, before the draft. This year's NBA draft is taking place June 25 and 26 at the Barclays Center in New York City. The first round will begin at 6 p.m. MDT on June 25 and be televised on ESPN. The green room at the NBA draft is an area in front of the podium where players, their families and agents follow the draft's proceedings. Typically, an invite to the green room is viewed as a positive sign that a prospect is likely to be taken in the first round. It's not a guarantee, though. Last year, Johnny Furphy and Kyle Filipowski were included among the first 20 invites, but they both fell to the second round. Filipowski was drafted by the Utah Jazz with the 32nd overall pick. 'The process of deciding whom to invite to the NBA draft involves communication with the presidents or general managers of teams that pick throughout the first round,' Givony wrote. 'Teams are asked to vote on the top 25 players they expect to hear their names called first. This is to ensure players aren't sitting for very long before a national television audience.' Demin, a native of Russia, played one season at BYU before declaring for the NBA draft. The 19-year-old point guard, who is viewed as a potential draft lottery pick, averaged 10.6 points, 5.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds during his lone season playing for the Cougars. He helped BYU reach the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2011. One of his primary weaknesses heading into draft preparations was Demin's shooting — he shot 41.6% from the floor at BYU, as well as 27.3% from 3-point range. Demin showed improvement in that area at the NBA combine. The last time BYU had a player selected in the NBA draft was in 2011, when guard Jimmer Fredette was taken by Milwaukee Bucks with the 10th overall pick in the first round and shipped to the Sacramento Kings in a draft-day trade.
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Analyst states MSU has better wide receivers than rival UM; sparks debate, fan reactions
Does Michigan State have a better wide receivers core than rival Michigan? At least one analyst believes that to be the case. Popular college football analyst and social media personality Rico Rico posted on X that Michigan State has a better wide receivers core than rival Michigan this upcoming season. Rico Rico hinted that "people aren't going to like this" take and that it would generate plenty of buzz -- which is exactly what happened. Here is Rico Rico's original post on this topic: Michigan State brings back one of the top young wide receivers in Nick Marsh to lead the position group this upcoming season. Joining him are a pair of notable transfer additions in Kent State's Chrishon McCray and Middle Tennessee State's Omari Kelly. That trio should be a potent group this upcoming season, and makes me personally agree with Rico Rico about the Spartans having an the edge over Michigan in this area. Check out some of the best replies and social media reactions to this take from Rico Rico below: Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5. This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Analyst takes Spartans over Wolverines when it comes to WRs group
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Nation's No. 1 RB Sounds Off Against Recruiting Report After Ohio State Visit
Nation's No. 1 RB Sounds Off Against Recruiting Report After Ohio State Visit originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Four major college football programs are in the hunt for a commitment from the top running back in the 2026 class. Advertisement Five-star running back Savion Hiter named Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan and Tennessee as his top schools in February after a standout season at Louisa County High School in Mineral, Virginia. Playing both tailback and outside linebacker, the 5-foot-11, 200-pound athlete posted 1,698 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns on the ground while adding 199 receiving yards. Defensively, Hiter was credited with 56 tackles, seven sacks and an interception. Hiter, who also racked up three touchdowns as a returner in 2024, ranks as the No. 1 running back, the No. 1 player in the state and the No. 11 overall player in his class. Head coach Ryan Day's Buckeyes hosted Hiter on an official visit over the weekend, leading to an update from On3 recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong. Advertisement The report seemingly down played Hiter's trip to Ohio State with Wiltfong tabbing Michigan and Tennessee as Hiter's leaders. Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day and Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images "Still think it's Michigan and Tennessee when it's all said and done," Wiltfong said on Wednesday. "Those are the programs I'm watching the most right now. I think they are the programs that will take that recruitment up another level from an NIL standpoint, if they have to, to land one of the most coveted players on their board, respectively." Hiter, who visited Tennessee two weeks before making his trip to Ohio State, responded to the report via social media, questioning the validity of the information. Advertisement "Where does this stuff come from when I've done 0 interviews," Hiter wrote on X. Hiter is scheduled to officially visit Georgia this weekend before making an official trip to Michigan (June 13) and Tennessee (June 20). Hiter's talent, combined with a recruiting battle between some of the nation's top programs, makes his recruitment one to watch. The question does remain, though, of who actually leads that race entering the summer. Related: Nation's No. 1 LB Reacts To Clemson Official Visit As Georgia Leads Recruiting Battle Related: Texas A&M Beats Out College Football Playoff Contenders In Major Recruiting Win This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
