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Are the Badgers competitive enough in NIL?
TL;DR
The Wisconsin Badgers face challenges in competing in the NIL landscape as budgets grow significantly. Head coach Greg Gard is assessing the program's resources in relation to other college basketball teams.
Key points
- Wisconsin Badgers are assessing their competitiveness in NIL.
- NIL budgets across the country are increasing significantly.
- Greg Gard is focused on raising resources for the basketball program.
- Recent investments have been made in the football program.
Mentioned in this story
Greg Gard
Wisconsin Badgers2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
PORTLAND, OREGON - MARCH 19: Nick Boyd #2 of the Wisconsin Badgers drives against Scotty Washington #12 of the High Point Panthers during the second half in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As the college basketball world continues to evolve, there’s been one major question surrounding the Wisconsin Badgers: Are they competitive enough in NIL?
Head coach Greg Gard and his staff have done a great job of raising resources, but NIL budgets across the country are getting substantially bigger, raising the prices of the market. With a significant investment from the Athletic Department in the football program this offseason, there have been questions about how competitive the basketball program is currently in the NIL space.
Does Gard believe Wisconsin has enough resources to be be competitive currently?
“You never have enough resources,” Gard said. “It’s like, hey, would you like to get paid more in your job, right? Do you have the resources you want to go to travel everywhere to cover us? No. Well, you don’t. But we’ve been able to stay competitive. Our resources have gone up. I want to make sure that’s clear.
“[The stigma out there is], well, Wisconsin has no resources. No, we do, we do. But guess what? The market has also climbed and the competition and it’s continued. They haven’t stopped adding to their resources, and we haven’t stopped adding to our resources. So we’ve had very generous people.”
Earlier this offseason, Gard acknowledged that the Badgers weren’t in the top half of NIL spending in the Big Ten this past season, and probably wouldn’t be again in 2026-27 despite being one of the more successful programs in the conference over the past few years.
That means he and his staff have needed to maneuver through the transfer portal to find the best fits within the team’s budget.
Q&A
How is Wisconsin Badgers' NIL budget compared to other college basketball programs?
The Wisconsin Badgers' NIL budget is under scrutiny as other programs are increasing their budgets significantly.
What is the role of Greg Gard in Wisconsin's NIL strategy?
Head coach Greg Gard is actively involved in evaluating and raising resources for the Badgers' competitiveness in the NIL space.
What recent investments have been made in Wisconsin's athletic programs?
The Athletic Department has made significant investments in the football program, prompting questions about the basketball program's NIL competitiveness.
Are the Badgers competitive in NIL for the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament?
Concerns about the Badgers' competitiveness in NIL are particularly relevant as they prepare for the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.