Greg Gard provided a crucial injury update on star Nolan Winter going into the Wisconsin Badgers' time in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Gard has been the Badgers' head coach since 2015, having the team in firm contention for March Madness nearly every year. This season presents plenty of potential for the squad, having racked up multiple ranked wins over top-10 squads.
However, they require the team to be healthy going into the biggest tournament in college basketball. Winter suffered an ankle sprain earlier this month against the Maryland Terrapins on March 4 as he missed the Badgers' Big Ten Tournament run.
Good news for Gard and Wisconsin is that Winter has made significant progress in his recovery, per reporter Audrey Marr. The head coach even mentioned about Jack Janicki, noting both players' jump in their overall fitness.
“They both ran full court in some skeleton stuff we did, both were in the drills, so it was a big jump today,” Gard said. “Everybody felt pretty good coming out of it, so the plan is to take another step tomorrow.”
"It was a big jump today." #Badgers head coach Greg Gard gave an update on the status of Nolan Winter (lower body) and Jack Janicki (wrist) ahead of Wisconsin's 2026 NCAA Tournament debut on Thursday. @wmtv15news pic.twitter.com/CMVibMweKZ
— Audrey Marr (@AudreyMarrTV) March 16, 2026
What's next for Wisconsin amid Nolan Winter's injury update
Nolan Winter will certainly be valuable for Greg Gard and Wisconsin's chances of making a deep NCAA Tournament run.
Winter has been productive as a double-double threat, averaging 13.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game throughout 30 appearances. He is shooting 56.9% from the field, including 33.3% from beyond the arc, and 74.2% from the free-throw line.
Wisconsin boasts a 24-10 overall record on the season, having gone 14-6 in its Big Ten matchups. They finished at fifth place in the conference standings as they got an automatic bye to the third round. They advanced to the semifinals after beating Washington and Illinois but lost to Michigan due to a game-winning shot from Yaxel Lendeborg.
The Badgers will look forward to their journey in the NCAA Tournament, getting the 5-seed in the West Region. They take on the 12-seed High Point Panthers in the first round on March 19 at 1:50 p.m. ET.
