Wisconsin men’s basketball: 4 Portal 4 Furious

We threw out a bunch of names that the Badgers might be interested in from the transfer portal over the last few weeks and since then more names have only been added to the portal. Let’s take a quick look at who else Greg Gard and Wisconsin could kick the tires on to fill out their roster for next season.

Bryce Hopkins, Kentucky, four years remaining, 6-foot-6, 220 pounds

A former top-40 recruit that took an official visit to Wisconsin while in high school is in the portal? Yeah, we can dig that. Hopkins, a native of Oak Park, Ill., did not get much run as a freshman for the Wildcats (13.4% of available minutes) and averaged 2.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. He shot 31.3 from deep, on only 16 attempts, but also had poor free throw shooting numbers (also on few attempts) so he’d certainly need to work on his shot wherever he ends up. His shooting numbers in high school lead me to believe that his college rates will go up, and this is the type of prospect the Badgers don’t often get so I’m sure there is room for him if the interest is mutual.

Kamari McGee, Green Bay, four years remaining, 6-foot, ??? pounds

While I can’t find a listed weight for McGee, but looking at pictures of him he probably weighs around what you think a 6-foot guard would weigh. Anyways, the native of Racine, is looking for a new school and the Badgers have been in contact with him. McGee averaged 11.6 ppg, 1.9 apg and 1.1 spg as a freshman at Green Bay and was named to the Horizon League all-freshman team. He was a bright spot on a bad Phoenix team but would be a welcome addition to Wisconsin’s guard rotation, especially if Lorne Bowman isn’t at 100% to start the season.

Tristen Newton, East Carolina, three years remaining, 6-foot-5, 190 pounds

Newton, a native of El Paso, Texas, was a second-team all-AAC selection this past season. The three-year starter averaged 17.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists per game and shot 43.5% from the field and 33.3% from deep. He excels at getting to the free throw line and, once there, he knocks them down (85% career free throw shooter). He is also an active defender and a good passer. It looks like he can play either guard position, so he would be able to co-exist with Hepburn and be a secondary playmaker as well.

Courtney Ramey, Texas, one year remaining, 6-foot-3, 185 pounds

Ramey would pretty comfortably slot right into the starting lineup for Wisconsin next to Chucky Hepburn in the backcourt. The St. Louis native never played fewer than 25 minutes per game nor scored fewer than 8.0 points per game in all four years in Austin. Last season he averaged 9.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.6 apg and 1.0 spg while shooting 35% from deep (over four years he shoots 36.5% from beyond the arc).

Not sure how likely this one is, as the Badgers didn’t offer him coming out of high school and there are some top-quality teams (Kentucky, Villanova, Gonzaga) that have also reached out to him, but he is the exact type of player UW’s roster needs in the portal.

• While at one point it may have seemed like the Badgers were in the running for Wright State transfer big man Grant Basile, it sounds like Notre Dame, Iowa State and Virginia Tech are the current front-runners for Pewaukee native’s services.