Wisconsin will look to hit the transfer portal hard once again.
The Wisconsin Badgers are now in offseason mode, as their promising 2024-25 campaign wrapped up last weekend against the BYU Cougars in a 91-89 loss in the Round of 32.
Now, they’re setting their focus on the rebuilding period of the offseason, and it’s going to be a major one for Wisconsin, as they will lose six scholarship seniors from this season.
John Tonje, Max Klesmit, Steven Crowl, Kamari McGee, Carter Gilmore, and Markus Illver are all out of eligibility, opening up quite a few roster spots and a number of holes to fill.
So, entering the offseason, what are Wisconsin’s biggest needs in the transfer portal? Let’s go position-by-position.
Guards
Wisconsin is losing three key guards from its rotation with Tonje, Klesmit, and McGee’s departures.
Currently, here are the scholarship players at guard for Wisconsin in 2025: John Blackwell, Daniel Freitag, (presumably) Jack Janicki, Zach Kinziger, and Hayden Jones. That’s a much different group than the one Wisconsin put out there this season.
Wisconsin should look for a point guard in the transfer portal after Camren Hunter’s departure. While Freitag is currently the point guard of the future, the Badgers need some competition there to make sure he’s ready to take the reins, and, more importantly, need depth at the position.
They could very well look for a Max Klesmit replacement as well as an off-ball three-and-D guard who could serve as the sixth man. Now, with Blackwell at the forefront of the program, this position may not be the biggest need, but more experience in the backcourt would be complementary.
Zach Kinziger is the wildcard of the group. If he’s ready to take on minutes, he could fill a hole in the rotation alongside Jack Janicki as the team’s guards off the bench. But, Wisconsin could also look to add more competition by bringing in another transfer to get more depth at guard.
Wings
Wisconsin is losing its best player from last season and doesn’t have an immediate replacement. While they could return to three smaller guards, a bigger-sized wing like John Tonje or A.J. Storr makes a ton of sense, and could very well be the team’s top need.
After developing two high-caliber wings in a row, they should be able to recruit well in the transfer portal, but they need a starting-caliber and potentially even star-caliber wing in the portal.
Jack Robison and Xavier Amos are the two wings on the roster currently. But, Robison isn’t ready to start and could need another year to develop both on the court and in the weight room. And the Badgers like Amos as a stretch-four who can be versatile alongside Nolan Winter.
So, getting a wing is a priority this offseason.
Bigs
Wisconsin is losing some key depth in its frontcourt with Steven Crowl and Carter Gilmore gone. Both players were fifth-year seniors, with Crowl being a longtime starter and Gilmore finding his spot in the rotation this year.
If the Badgers are to keep Winter at the four, getting a starting center is a priority in the portal, and that won’t come cheap. Winter is better suited as a four, given his size and shooting ability, but the Badgers could ask him to bulk up more to better defend fives.
Even if Winter is asked to move to center, Wisconsin needs center depth and could attack the portal for a reserve, which could be hard to find. But, if Winter remains at power forward, he could play a similar role to this year, spelling the backup five minutes while being at the four with the starters.
Amos should jump into a bigger role with Gilmore’s departure next year, but I’m not sure if he should be penciled in as a starter. Instead, a first-off-the-bench role seems more ideal for him as Winter’s backup.
So, Wisconsin should pick up one-to-two more forwards/centers in the transfer portal, and they have the space to do so with their open roster spots.