Wisconsin basketball's projected starting lineup after four departures

Longtime head coach Greg Gard knows the Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball starting lineup is going to look a lot different in the 2026-27 season.

There's nothing this team can do about Andrew Rohde or Nick Boyd, who both graduated, but the program has now also lost both John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas to the transfer portal.

After that movement, Wisconsin has just one starter remaining: forward Nolan Winter.

Thankfully, sophomore Austin Rapp got 12 starts in his first year with the Badgers. He came to Madison fresh off a season where he started 30 games at Portland, so the 6-foot-10 forward has a much larger role awaiting him in 2026-27.

Other than those two, there aren't many players who have started for this team. Braeden Carrington, who was seventh on the team with his 18.0 minutes per game, is out of eligibility and won't be returning.

Jack Janicki has been with this team for two seasons now and has just one start in his 63 games played. He's the only other player with double-digit minutes per game (16.5), and to no surprise, the select few players returning below him have no starting experience.

Gard has the portal to rely on, and he'll be bringing in a few key recruits, but there are reasons to be concerned heading into next season. There will be a learning curve for everyone involved. As always, this coaching staff will figure things out, and Wisconsin will be just fine.

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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball starting lineup projection 2026-27