Wisconsin’s backcourt took an early hit before the first preseason exhibition even arrived.
UW Stats and Info said Tuesday afternoon that freshman guard Josh Manchester is out for the entire 2026-27 season after successful shoulder surgery. Wisconsin said Manchester injured his shoulder in practice last week.
Manchester arrived in April as a late addition to the Badgers’ roster, coming out of Mount Horeb High School and Team Herro in the EYBL. He’s one of two American high school freshmen on the team, joining LaTrevion Fenderson out of Racine, and one of four first-year players overall alongside international signings Jackson Ball and Isaac Riddle.
With Manchester sidelined, Wisconsin is down to 13 active and available players for the 2026-27 season. The status of Braeden Carrington, a potential 14th player and fifth-year returnee, remains unresolved.
Even before the injury, Manchester was not expected to be a rotation regular this season. The Badgers have called him the best shooter on the team already, but his bigger value was viewed as something that would develop over time.
That long-term upside is part of why Wisconsin was so interested in him. The local product’s high school is about a half hour from the Kohl Center, and he finished his prep career with more than 2,000 points. As a senior at Mount Horeb, he averaged 24.1 points per game and shot 41% from 3-point range.
Wisconsin has been targeting scorers in the backcourt lately, and Manchester fit that mold. He also came to Madison after the Badgers missed on Wisconsin Mr. Basketball wing Zavier Zens, who chose Illinois in April less than a week before Manchester signed.
For Wisconsin, the injury does not appear to change much in terms of immediate depth. Manchester was not projected to push into the main rotation, and the backcourt still has plenty of options. The more interesting question is how that group holds up over the season after the departures of Nick Boyd and John Blackwell.
As things stand just under a month before tip-off, Manchester’s absence feels more like a development setback for the freshman than a blow to Wisconsin’s depth chart.
In Other News...
Wisconsin Just Opened A New Recruiting Question At Edge
Wisconsins 2027 recruiting class took a hit when 3-star edge rusher Darin Graham backed off his commitment and announced the move on social media. Graham had pledged during his official visit in June and picked the Badgers over several Power 4 programs, so his exit is a notable one for a class that had been building momentum early.
The decommitment leaves Wisconsin with 22 players in the 2027 class and adds a fresh layer of uncertainty to the edge group. The Badgers already have commitments and enough roster depth at the position that they could choose to hold steady there, but Grahams decision still opens the door to a few more questions about how the staff wants to shape that part of the class moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsins Starting Five Has One Spot Fans Will Be Watching Closely
Wisconsins projected starting five is mostly settled as the season approaches, but the backcourt still has one spot drawing plenty of attention. Owen Foxwell, Nolan Winter, Austin Rapp and Eian Elmer appear positioned to anchor the group, leaving the two-guard opening as the key decision for the Badgers to monitor.
Braeden Carrington is currently considered eligible while working through legal proceedings, with his court case postponed to Oct. 20, and that keeps him in the mix alongside Trey Autry. Victory Onuetu and Jackson Ball are also names to remember if the rotation shifts once games begin, giving Wisconsin a little more flexibility there than the rest of the lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Just Played Its Way Into A Bigger Bowl Conversation
Wisconsin has quietly put itself back into the postseason picture with a 4-1 start and a 2-0 mark in Big Ten play, and the opening month has already changed the tone around Luke Fickells team. The only blemish came against Notre Dame, which means the Badgers have otherwise handled business enough to make bowl projections feel a lot less like speculation and a lot more like scoreboard watching.
What makes the next stretch so interesting is how much those upcoming key matchups could shift the conversation. Wisconsin is not in the College Football Playoff mix, but the path back to bowl season looks real after missing the postseason the past two years, and different analysts have the Badgers slotted for a range of destinations depending on how the rest of the schedule plays out. [Read more 🡒]