Wisconsin

How Jack Janicki has become Wisconsin’s latest ‘defensive catalyst’

Published

1 month ago

February 9, 2026

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How Jack Janicki has become Wisconsin’s latest ‘defensive catalyst’

Wisconsin guard Jack Janicki is frequently compared to former teammate Carter Gilmore because of his defensive impact.
Coaches and teammates describe Janicki as a “defensive catalyst” and a versatile Swiss Army knife on the court.
He has also embraced a vocal leadership role similar to the one Gilmore held in the previous season.

MADISON – Ask Greg Gard or seemingly anyone else around Wisconsin men’s basketball about redshirt sophomore guard Jack Janicki, and another name almost instinctively keeps coming up.

It’s a player in a different class and at a different position – former UW forward Carter Gilmore.

As Gard recently talked about Janicki’s role, he mentioned how “Gilly was like that” last year. Associate head coach Joe Krabbenhoft has likewise said Janicki’s contributions are “similar to what Carter Gilmore was able to bring to us last year.”

Even Janicki has unpromptedly drawn the parallel between himself and the 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward who suited up for the Badgers from 2020-25.

“I think guys like Carter Gilmore sort of showed the way in terms of how you can really find minutes on the court and find value for yourself in ways that are less apparent,” Janicki said.

All the comparisons to Gilmore are fitting, though, considering the way Janicki has been instrumental in the Badgers’ efforts on the defensive side of the ball in 2025-26 in a way that extends far beyond what box scores may show.

Janicki, Gard said, has been the 2025-26 team’s “defensive catalyst.”

“He can switch a lot of things,” Gard said after the Jan. 28 win over Minnesota. “He’s very astute. He covers up mistakes at times from others. He’s always typically in the right position. … He’s kind of developing into that multi-dimensional guy like Gilmore was.”

Gard and Krabbenhoft have both compared Janicki to a Swiss Army knife with the defensive versatility that he brings to the court. He has so much versatility that he has even channeled his inner Gilmore by often playing at the four-spot when UW operates with small-ball lineups.

“He can guard bigs,” Gard said. “He can guard smalls. He can chase guys, like he did [against Ohio State]. He covers. When he’s in a help position, if we can put him on a non-shooter, his ability to recognize where to kind of back-layer or insulate the defense – his security blankets, we call them, insurance policies, whatever you want to do – that prevents something bad from happening.”

Janicki “brings so much energy to this group,” teammate Austin Rapp said.

“He will lose a tooth,” Rapp said. “He’ll cut his mouth open just for this team to win.”

Janicki really did lose a tooth for the sake of a Wisconsin win, chipping a tooth in the final minute of the Badgers’ 74-67 road win last year against rival Minnesota.

The defensive-minded Janicki’s magnum opus perhaps was Wisconsin’s Jan. 28 win this season over Minnesota.

Janicki had several key plays on defense – “a lot of little things that don’t seem big, but can be like four-point swings,” as he aptly put it – that helped the Badgers overcome a 20-point deficit and pull off a 67-63 win.

Janicki took a charge in textbook fashion in the second half on the defensive possession following Nolan Winter’s go-ahead 3-pointer, with Boyd hyping up the Kohl Center crowd afterward.

The 6-foot-5 guard was credited with a block with 45 seconds remaining in the game after getting his fingertips on an Isaac Asuma 3-point shot attempt that could have given the Gophers the lead.

His biggest play might have been less than a minute before that, as he intercepted Asuma’s pass with 1:17 remaining. His steal set up an offensive possession that ended with a pair of John Blackwell free throws that recaptured the lead one last time for the Badgers.

“That steal he had – his instincts are phenomenal,” Krabbenhoft told reporters. “The charge. And then things that don’t stand on a stat sheet that he does, covering people up that we talked about with Carter with all you guys for so many years. He’s got that in his game.”

Janicki played a major enough role in the win to be one of the players sent to the media room for the postgame press conference despite finishing with zero points, one assist and one rebound.

“Obviously you look at the stat line, and you wouldn’t think much of my performance,” Janicki said after the Minnesota win while sitting next to teammates who scored 23, 21 and seven points. “But obviously I’m out there for a reason.”

Janicki – one of three rotational players to return from 2024-25 – has attempted to fill the leadership role in 2025-26 that Gilmore had in the previous season.

“There’s some voices in the locker room that definitely ring out in times when things are going poorly, and Gilly’s was the voice that we would turn to,” Janicki said.

After this season’s Jan. 6 loss to then-No. 6 Purdue at the Kohl Center – UW’s third consecutive loss to a high-major team at the time – Janicki told his teammates, “This season can go one of two ways.”

“I love that role,” Janicki told the Journal Sentinel. “I think that’ll be something that I carry with me the rest of my life – being able to be a vocal and emotional leader for the Wisconsin Badgers.”

Janicki’s favorite basketball moment with Gilmore – “one of my best friends while he was here” – was last season’s win at Northwestern, when the previous defensive catalyst went off for a career-high 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

Janicki has enjoyed some of his own scoring spurts, such as his 11-point performance at Purdue last season or his nine-point performance against Providence this season. But like Gilmore, Janicki has not been the one to be taking critical shots for the Badgers this season.

Gilmore averaged 3.9 points per game in 2024-25; Janicki has averaged 2.3 points per game so far in 2025-26. Gilmore’s possessions used rate – how many offensive possessions end with an action by that player – was 11% in 2024-25, per KenPom. Janicki’s usage rate this season is 10.4%.

“Obviously every basketball player has dreams of going out there and putting a bunch of shots in the hoop, and I still have those goals for myself,” Janicki said. “But at the same time, a lot of different games call for a lot of different things.”

Janicki’s lower shot volume – only 62 attempts in 400 minutes this season – is hardly a surprise given the playmakers on the court with him.

Nick Boyd and Blackwell are statistically two of the top eight scorers in the Big Ten. Winter has 11 double-doubles this season. Andrew Rohde, Braeden Carrington, Austin Rapp and Aleksas Bieliauskas all present perimeter scoring threats.

“I don’t want to not talk about his ability to play on the offensive end,” Krabbenhoft said of Janicki. “He knows right now with the way we’re built and the guys that he’s got around him, how to get on the floor. And that’s a credit to him because he impacts winning.”

In many ways, it’s just like Gilmore, and Janicki sure seems to be taking the comparison to the close friend and revered teammate as a compliment.

“Those are just two dudes that don’t care at all about the stat sheet or whatever,” Winter said. “All they care about is Wisconsin basketball and getting that win, doing whatever it takes, doing all the dirty work that people don’t really see. Both of them really excelled in their roles.”

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin lawmakers look to join the ranks of states allowing online sports betting

Published

11 hours ago

March 19, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin lawmakers look to join the ranks of states allowing online sports betting

MADISON (AP) — As sports fans wager billions of dollars on the NCAA basketball tournaments, Wisconsin lawmakers are taking a shot at an expanded sports betting plan that could bank big bucks for the state in the future.

A measure given final approval Tuesday would let the state’s tribal gambling sites start offering online sports betting to people anywhere in Wisconsin. But the bill is contingent on the signature of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, which is no sure bet. And it wouldn’t take effect until after the state negotiates new deals with American Indian tribes who would run the sports betting — long after the current basketball tournaments wrap up.

Here’s how Wisconsin and other states are approaching sports betting:

Sports betting is booming in states

Legal sports betting has spread from one state — Nevada — to 39 states and Washington, D.C., since the U.S. Supreme Court opened the door in 2018. If Evers signs off on the expansion, Wisconsin would become the 32nd state to allow online sports wagering, which is how most people place bets.

Across the U.S., state-regulated sportsbooks handled nearly $167 billion of bets last year, generating revenues of nearly $17 billion after winnings were paid out to customers, according to the American Gaming Association. That marked an almost 23% increase over the previous year.

Gambling in Wisconsin goes through tribes

Gambling is legal in Wisconsin only on tribal lands under exclusive contracts between tribes and the state. Sports bets currently can be placed only at certain tribal casinos, and online sports betting is illegal.

Under the Wisconsin tribal compacts, a percentage of the money tribes earn through that gambling is returned to the state. In 2024, the tribes paid the state just over $66 million from revenue generated at casinos.

Wisconsin proposes to follow the Florida model

Under the Wisconsin legislation, online sports betting would be allowed only if the infrastructure to manage the bets, such as computer servers, is located on tribal lands in the state. That approach, known as the “hub-and-spoke” model, already is used in Florida.

Supporters of the measure include several Wisconsin tribes and the Milwaukee Brewers. They contend people currently are placing bets using offshore sportsbooks or prediction markets or crossing into other states where it’s legal, including neighboring Illinois.

Republican Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said he opposes online gambling, but people are already doing it and “I would rather make sure that Wisconsinites have some sort of control over that.”

The legislation has drawn opposition from the Sports Betting Alliance, which represents FanDuel, DraftKings, bet365, BetMGM and Fanatics. They argue it wouldn’t make financial sense for them to partner with Wisconsin tribes, because federal law requires 60% of gambling revenues must go back to the tribes. They would prefer a state constitutional amendment opening sports betting to all operators.

“It is simply not economically feasible for a commercial operator to hand over 60% or more of its revenue to an in-state gaming entity, just for the right to operate in the state,” Sports Betting Alliance representative Damon Stewart said in submitted testimony opposing the bill.

Governor’s support is unclear

Wisconsin’s measure has divided Republicans since it was introduced last year. It took 12 Democrats joining with nine Republicans to pass the bill in the Senate. The Assembly, also controlled by Republicans, passed it on a voice vote without debate last month.

It now heads to Evers, who initially said he would sign it as long as it was passed in consultation with — and the support of — the state’s tribes. Evers has since raised concerns, noting last month that not all of the state’s 11 tribes are registered as in support. Evers’ spokesperson Britt Cudaback did not return a message seeking comment Tuesday.

Revenues from sports bets can take a while to start flowing

If Evers signs the legislation, Wisconsin residents may still have to wait to place bets through smartphones and computers. It often takes months to launch new sports betting programs.

North Carolina’s governor signed legislation in June 2023 to expand sports betting from three tribal casinos to online platforms. But online betting did not begin until March 2024.

Missouri voters narrowly approved sports wagering in November 2024. But it didn’t launch until last December. And the state has yet to reap a big windfall. Through the first two months, Missouri sportsbooks handled $928 million of bets, but that resulted in just $659,000 in state taxes.

Some states look to squeeze more out of sports bets

Since adopting sports betting, some states already have revamped their laws to try to take a bigger share of the money. Taxes have been raised or restructured in Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee and Washington, D.C. And Colorado and Virginia have pared back the tax deductions they originally allowed.

Illinois has taken multiple bites, most recently adding fees of 25-50 cents on every sports bet that gets placed. And Chicago began charging an additional 10.25% tax on sports betting revenues on Jan. 1.

Louisiana raised is sports betting taxes last year to help fund college athletics. The new law directs one-quarter of the tax revenue from online sports wagering to be split among public universities with Division I football programs and be used “for the benefit of student athletes.”

Collegiate prop bets face push back

Sports betting often involves more than just guessing which team will win. Some of the most popular bets focus on player performance, like how many points a particular athlete will score. Those proposition bets also have been at the center of recent scandals, with players alleged to have rigged their performance.

The NCAA in 2023 began encouraging states to adopt restrictions on bets involving college athletes. Since then, Louisiana, Maryland, Ohio and Vermont have joined the ranks of states banning individual prop bets on college athletes.

More than a dozen states place no limits on collegiate prop bets while nearly an equal number prohibit all such bets. Other states fall somewhere in between, including some that allow prop bets on collegiate athletes only for games that don’t involve their home-state schools.

___

Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Missouri.

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Wisconsin

Poll results show Wisconsin reaching Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament

Published

23 hours ago

March 18, 2026

Press Room

Poll results show Wisconsin reaching Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Wisconsin Badgers are set to meet High Point in the men’s NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 19. Will the Badgers advance? How far can UW go overall?

Earlier this week we asked readers to vote how deep of a run Wisconsin will make in the tournament. Here are the results:

Wisconsin will reach the Sweet 16

More than half of the respondents to our poll, or 56% of the 238 votes cast, predict the Badgers will make it to the Sweet 16. It would mark Wisconsin’s first trip to the final 16 since 2017, when it lost to Florida, 84-83.

What about an early exit?

About 18% of voters believe Wisconsin will bow out in one of the first two rounds, with 4.6% predicting a loss in the first game to High Point, and 13% envisioning a loss in the following round of 32.

Wisconsin as NCAA champions

Wisconsin will be crowned the NCAA champion on April 6 according to 4.6% of our voters, which ironically, is the exact percentage of voters who believe the Badgers will lose their first-round game to High Point.

15% of voters see Wisconsin’s season concluding in the Elite Eight, and 5% see UW reaching the Final Four before the run ends. 1.3% believe UW will reach the NCAA championship game but miss out on the crown.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin Senate passes NIL bill that gives Badgers taxpayer funding

Published

1 day ago

March 18, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin Senate passes NIL bill that gives Badgers taxpayer funding

The Wisconsin state Senate narrowly passed a bill to provide taxpayer funding for university athletic facilities.
The legislation allocates more than $14 million to UW-Madison and formalizes rules for athlete compensation.
It includes a controversial public records exemption for athletic department revenue information.
The bill now awaits a decision from Gov. Tony Evers, who has not yet taken a public stance.

MADISON – The Wisconsin Badgers are one step closer to receiving taxpayer support as they adapt to the changing college sports landscape.

With a one-vote margin, the state Senate on March 17 approved a bill to provide taxpayer funding for athletic facility debt service and formalize rules around name, image and likeness. Eleven Republicans and six Democrats voted in favor of the bill, while seven Republicans and nine Democrats voted against it.

The bill, which the Assembly passed on Feb. 19 with a 95-1 vote, now goes to Gov. Tony Evers’ desk. The governor has not publicly weighed in on the measure.

Neither the Senate nor Assembly debated the bill before their votes.

The legislation would allocate $14.6 million for debt service and maintenance of athletic facilities at UW-Madison – the one power-conference athletic department in the University of Wisconsin System. Another $200,000 each would go to UW-Milwaukee and UW-Green Bay for its athletic facilities.

It also would codify existing rules around athletes’ ability to profit off their name, image and likeness. Athletes also would not be allowed to sign NIL deals that conflict with the university’s existing contracts, involve the athlete’s performance or endorse tobacco, alcohol, gambling, banned or illegal substances or illegal activity.

The legislation also adds a public records exemption that has come under scrutiny from the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, among others. It would exempt “generation, deployment or allocation of revenue” by an athletic department “when competitive reasons require confidentiality.” UW officials have said they are only seeking to “codify our existing practice” of denying certain records due to student privacy law or competitive trade secrets.

Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh previously told the Journal Sentinel that “everything is on the table in terms of increasing revenues and reducing expenses” if the legislation did not pass in this session. He did not directly answer whether that would include cutting sports.

In a recent interview on WISN-TV’s “Upfront,” Sen. Chris Kapenga, R-Delafield, said Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, could face political consequences within his own party if he relied on Democratic votes to pass the legislation.

Asked about opposition to the bill ahead of the Senate vote, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, told reporters it’s a necessity in the environment created by the federal court settlement that allows compensation for college athletes’ name, image and likeness.

“You have to be able to adapt with the times,” Vos said. “I want the Badgers to be able to win. I want to be able to have college athletics for more than just a football and a basketball team, and I want to make sure that we can be competitive.”

Asked about concerns with the bill’s public records exemption, Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton, suggested that’s something Democrats may seek to change if they win a majority of seats in the November elections.

The Badgers’ efforts to secure taxpayer funding for facilities have come amid rising costs tied to athlete compensation.

Schools can share up to $20.5 million in revenue with athletes, with NIL deals supplementing that. McIntosh said in a public hearing that he has heard anecdotally about peer schools spending $10 million to $20 million “on top of that to have a successful football program.”

“I don’t want to have to choose between a competitive football team and a highly successful Olympic sport program,” McIntosh told the Journal Sentinel.

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