The Wisconsin Badgers are heading into 2026 with a roster that will look different in a lot of places, but they do have a handful of familiar pieces coming back. Six players from the 2025-26 team are set to return, and one of the most important among them is redshirt junior Jack Janicki.
Janicki’s role grew last season, and he became one of the more trusted options off the bench. In 16.5 minutes per game, he put up 2.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists before a wrist injury ended his season early. Even with that setback, he’s positioned to be a key reserve again in 2026.
With several seniors moving on, Janicki is also stepping into a different kind of job. He’s no longer just a depth piece. He’s one of the veterans now, and Greg Gard said the summer has reflected that shift.
“Yeah, I think he’s had a really good summer,” Gard said of Janicki. “I mean, just to this point, we’re about halfway through it, but just his experience, you can tell he’s right place, right time.
He’s correcting, grabbing other guys. So you always want your older players, specifically if they’ve been here, they understand what’s going on, to be able to drag guys along with him and push them into the right spots.
And he’s done a good job of that.
“I mean, he’s crossed that halftime or halfway mark, so to speak, of his career, and he knows he’s in a leadership role. Quite frankly, we missed him a little bit when he got hurt last year, just the intangible things that he gave us certain times. Never was in large quantities, but it was an important piece that we had gone 3 quarters of the way through the season, and then you have to adapt on the back end of the season without him.
“But he’s taken a step forward physically, much better, I think, just confidently. And he’ll find his way on the floor, I’m positive, to this point, just because he does so many more of those intangible things and even in a more impactful way.
So much like a lot of the older guys we’ve had over the years, they help cover up, while the younger guys or less experienced guys- I can’t use younger guys because some of these guys aren’t young, but less experienced in our system- he helps bridge that gap for them. And obviously he’s done a good job at this point.”
Wisconsin also knows it has to get better defensively in 2026, and Janicki figures to be part of that answer in a secondary role. He’s earned a reputation as one of the hardest workers on the roster, and his game has started to settle in on both ends. Last season, he showed more versatility on defense, handling perimeter responsibilities while also holding up physically on switches against forwards.
The offensive side is still the area that could determine how much more he plays, but with a younger bench around him, Janicki’s presence matters. The Badgers are going to need him.
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