Coming off a uniquely discouraging loss to High Point in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 64, Greg Gard and the Wisconsin Badgers don’t have time to lick their wounds, as the transfer portal madness will be upon us before you can say “Still No Sweet 16 Since 2017.”
Wisconsin
Predicting Wisconsin’s chances of retaining its starters
With this in mind, here are my very early best guesses for the chances of the Badgers retaining their guys. Part 2, which will cover rotational players, will drop soon.
Let’s dive right in here with the Badgers’ trickiest retention target. I want to be up front with the fact that I have zero insider information on this, but I’ve talked to enough folks who cover the program to have a distinct vibe that he’s quite possibly gone. Illinois, Michigan, and Michigan State have been the most frequently linked suitors for a player who grew up in Detroit and whose father played for the Illini.
Coming off a season with many highs, but a few obvious regressions, especially on defense—along with admitted “struggles” off the court—it’s natural to wonder if Blackwell might be looking for a fresh start (and bigger paycheck).
The fact that there will be more money on the table elsewhere (I don’t think it will be the NBA) doesn’t help the Badgers’ chances. But my vibe is that Gard, the coach who believed in Blackwell when none from other Big Ten programs did, will give Blackwell a very fair offer with a raise and let the chips fall where they may.
High-scoring wings with middling defense are easier to find in the portal than top-quality point guards or bigs with the diverse skills of the player in my next evaluation. Chances of Retention 50%.
Given his premium skill set and room for growth, there’s a good argument that Winter should be the Badgers No. 1 priority for retention. It’s also a fact that he likely has more to prove before an NBA squad will use a pick on him, although I suspect workouts and testing would only help his cause.
Winter has always struck me as Minnesota Nice and profiles as a quintessential Badger. But I felt similarly about Chucky Hepburn before he surprisingly bolted for Louisville before his senior year, so nothing can be taken for granted.
Winter declining to commit to a fourth season in Madison 20 minutes after losing to High Point has been overblown. He was distraught and coming to grips with a cruel and premature end to what was looking like a special March run.
So, I will cut him some slack here. My vibe is that we’ll see Winter back with the Badgers in ‘26-27. Chances of Retention: 70%.
Rapp’s progression on both offense and defense as the season progressed was incredibly encouraging, and his commitment to another year in Madison immediately after Wisconsin’s loss to High Point was music to fans ears.
For the same reasons why we shouldn’t put too much of our hopes and dreams into what Winter said or didn’t say postgame on Thursday, I’d caution you to take Rapp’s Badgers pledge as written in pencil.
While I think he’ll be back, there will be suitors for Rapp’s skill set, and he will be getting a sizable raise. Gard will need to work a bit to lock him down. Chances of Retention: 80%.
Like Rapp, the sturdy Lithuanian big who appears older than his actual age made impressive strides as the season went along, ending up as a solid 5/5 guy with a few notable high points, including torching an elite Michigan squad from deep on the way to college basketball’s most impressive victory of the season.
But his defense has a lot of room for growth, and his offense can also improve, so my guess is that both aspects of his game will be nurtured in Madison, where he was a valuable starter as a true freshman, a rarity.
While he’ll surely have a market in the portal given his age and inside/outside talents, it won’t be nearly as robust as for other Badgers. Being from Europe makes it a bit murkier, but I feel uniquely confident he’ll be back in Madison. Chances of Retention: 85%.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
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School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
How Aleksas Bieliauskas has grown in first season with Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin coach Greg Gard has high praise for Aleksas Bieliauskas about a month into the Lithuania native’s freshman season.
MADISON – One of Wisconsin men’s basketball’s departing transfers is headed to an SEC program with some connections to the Badgers.
Ex-UW forward Aleksas Bieliauskas has committed to South Carolina, he announced on April 17.
Bieliauskas left the Badgers after appearing in all 35 games as a freshman and making 28 starts. He averaged 4.9 points and 4.4 points in 20.2 minutes, and highlights of his freshman year included his five 3-pointers in UW’s upset over eventual national champion Michigan.
He’ll join a program with plenty of Wisconsin ties. South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris was an assistant coach at Wisconsin from 2010-17 on Bo Ryan and Greg Gard’s staffs. South Carolina assistant coach Tanner Bronson and director of video services Roman DiPasquale also are UW alumni.
Bieliauskas is the second of UW’s four departing transfers to commit to a new school. Reserve forward Jack Robison committed to North Dakota State on April 15. Starting guard John Blackwell and reserve forward Riccardo Greppi have not announced their next schools yet.
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