Wisconsin could be missing one of its top players on Thursday.
The Wisconsin Badgers shared some late injury news on Thursday afternoon, as center Nolan Winter is questionable with an injury against the Penn State Nittany Lions. Wisconsin is scheduled to tip off at 6:00 p.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Badgers center has been available and started in every single game for the team this season. In 18 games, he’s averaged 14.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game, while averaging 30.1 minutes a contest this year. He’s also been quite efficient, shooting over 60 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from deep.
With Wisconsin having a number of younger pieces in its frontcourt this year, Winter has been a key cog for the Badgers in his best season yet. Getting bigger and stronger, he’s continued to improve as a rebounder and is a seamless fit in the offense with his shooting ability.
If Winter cannot go, the Badgers could look to start freshman center Will Garlock for the first time this season alongside fellow freshman Aleksas Bieliauskas. They could also re-insert Austin Rapp into the starting lineup. Rapp started the first seven games of the season for Wisconsin before being replaced by Bieliauskas. He then battled a lower-body injury, causing him to miss two weeks before returning to the rotation on Saturday against Rutgers.
The Badgers don’t have much depth behind those three, so it could be another small-ball effort from Wisconsin for much of the game. The Badgers have shown some effectiveness playing one of their wings at the four, adding more length and quickness in exchange for size, which has worked well at times with the switching defensively.
If Winter can play, he may not see his regular workload, which may not be necessary against a Penn State team that has gone 9-9 this season and 0-7 in conference play.
We’ll learn more closer to tip-off, which is set for 6:00 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.
Category: General Sports
