Wisconsin spent last season lighting up scoreboards, but the Badgers are trying to make sure that version of the team doesn’t define them.
Associated Head Coach Joe Krabbenhoft made that clear when he pushed back on the idea that Wisconsin was choosing offense over defense. The results, though, told a different story. The Badgers held only three power-conference teams under 70 points and finished with a 102.1 points per 100 possessions mark in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency, their worst showing since at least 2002.
“It wasn’t our identity,” Krabbenhoft said. “I don’t remember many teams who have played on this floor that have had the highest of success not hang their hat on the defensive end.”
The 2025-26 season will be remembered as a frustrating one for Wisconsin, even with plenty of fireworks along the way. The Badgers set a program record by making 11.7 three-pointers per game and ranked third in school history with 83.0 points per game. But the scoring binge didn’t translate into trophies or NCAA Tournament success, because the defensive breakdowns kept turning games into track meets.
Nothing captured that better than the NCAA Tournament loss to High Point, when Wisconsin fell 83-82 after allowing 15 made threes and coughing up a game in which the Panthers committed only six turnovers.
“They sat in that locker room against High Point, and they put up 80,” Krabbenhoft said. “We had to get back to our roots a little bit defensively without sacrificing anything on offense.
I don’t think that should be a thing. It’s not like we’re going backwards.”
That offseason mission shaped the roster. Wisconsin looked for players who could buy into a tougher defensive approach, and that showed in the additions of Trey Autry, Eian Elmer and Victory Onuetu.
Autry is a coach’s son, Elmer brings versatility on defense, and Onuetu adds shot-blocking. With Onuetu in the mix, Wisconsin now has four players listed at 6-10 or taller in the frontcourt.
That size has already shown up in ways that go beyond protecting the rim. In Monday’s win over Denver, Wisconsin limited the Pioneers to 10 shots around the basket. The length also gives the Badgers more freedom on the perimeter, allowing guards to hedge ball screens and be more aggressive at the point of attack.
Wisconsin’s early returns have been encouraging. In the exhibition against Oklahoma State and the opener against Denver, the Badgers held opponents to 9-for-43 shooting from three-point range, a 20.9 percent clip.
“We can just be a lot better in honestly every aspect,” fifth-year guard Braeden Carrington said. “We are a lot bigger, so we have shot blockers at the rim, which we really didn’t have that last year.
Our guards are really versatile this year. We can switch one through four if we need to.
I think everybody here that got recruited has that fight that we didn’t have toward the beginning of the year.”
Tonight’s matchup at the Kohl Center should offer another test, even if Delaware’s opener came against a Division-3 opponent. The Fightin’ Blue Hens scored more than 50 points in each half, shot 59.2 percent overall and 46.4 percent from deep, and piled up 28 assists on 42 made field goals.
Guard Chucky Bailey III went 9-for-11 from the floor, DeShawn Harris-Smith came close to a triple-double with 10 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists, and Alex Kazanecki opened 4-for-4 from three-point range.
Greg Gard said last month that he sees this group becoming more aware of how to correct defensive mistakes as they happen. For Wisconsin, that remains the central issue.
“We have the pieces to do it,” Gard said. “It’s just a matter of getting everybody into the synchronization that has to take place. Defensively is just as important as what has to happen offensively.”
In Other News...
Wisconsins 2-0 Start Comes With One Early Concern
Wisconsins 73-64 win over Delaware gave the Badgers a 2-0 start, and for most of the final seven minutes they looked in control enough to keep the Blue Hens at arms length. It was another sign that this group can defend, stay organized and find enough scoring to put a game away, even while the roster continues to take shape early in the season.
Still, the first two games have also shown where the polish is missing. The Badgers are still settling into a new mix of players, and there were reminders against Delaware that the offense can be more aggressive and the bench can give more. Owen Foxwell, Eian Elmer, Jack Janicki and Jackson Ball all had their moments, but Wisconsin is still searching for the kind of consistent depth that will matter once the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Greg Gard Sees One Growing Wisconsin Concern Before Big Ten Play
The early-season offense has not looked quite as smooth as Greg Gard would like, and the Wisconsin coach pointed to a few familiar trouble spots after the loss of top scorers Nick Boyd and John Blackwell. Against Delaware, Gard said the Badgers were off on ball screen timing, had trouble finishing through contact and did not get enough production from the bench, all of which added up to a night where the attack never fully settled in.
Gard still sounded confident the rhythm will come, but the timing of the slump makes it worth watching with Big Ten play approaching. Wisconsin has enough structure to expect cleaner possessions as the schedule stiffens, yet the Badgers also know they need more reliable scoring support beyond the top end if they want the offense to hold up when the games start to matter more. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Is Winning With Defense While One Problem Still Lingers
Wisconsins second win of the season came with a familiar look in one area and a much better one in another. The Badgers beat Delaware 73-64 and, after a shakier opener, showed the kind of team defense that can keep them in games while the offense sorts itself out. Jack Janicki, Braeden Carrington, Owen Foxwell and Victory Onuetu all had a hand in that effort, giving Wisconsin the kind of collective lift it needed on both ends.
The lingering issue is still on the front line, where injuries to some forwards have slowed the Badgers offensive rhythm and limited what they can do inside. Even with the defense trending up, Wisconsin is still working through those absences and the ripple effect they have on scoring balance. For now, the formula is clear enough: defend well, find enough production from the rotation, and keep waiting for the roster to get closer to full strength. [Read more 🡒]