Recruit Alert: Manchester Brings 2,000-Point Scoring Spree
Wisconsin locked in Mount Horeb’s own Josh Manchester for its 2026-27 basketball roster. The 6-foot-2 shooting guard hit the 2,000-point mark in high school, averaged 24.1 points per game, and shot 41% from beyond the arc. He’s joining a largely set Badger lineup that already boasts three transfers and experienced freshmen like Owen Foxwell, Jackson Ball, and LeTrevion Fenderson. With two roster spots still open, Manchester’s arrival makes Wisconsin more selective in the portal, adds local firepower to the backcourt, and balances short-term contributors with long-term developmental potential.
It’s official: Wisconsin went shopping in its own backyard and found a bucket-generating vending machine named Josh Manchester. Sure, the Badgers could have scoured the globe for a basketball prodigy, but why import talent when you’ve got an in-state sharpshooter who treats every game like a free-throw practice? Now fans can rest easy knowing the future minor league draft prospects will come with dairy-state accents and a lifetime supply of cheese curds. Coaches, meanwhile, are breathing sighs of relief—no more awkward overseas recruiting brunches.
Sebastian Cheeks: Badgers’ Next Edge Assassin?
Returning for a fifth and final year, Sebastian Cheeks has transitioned from inside linebacker to outside backer and emerged as Wisconsin’s No. 3 pass-rusher with 24 tackles, three sacks, and 27 pressures last season. With Mason Reiger and Darryl Peterson gone, Cheeks faces public expectations to become the team’s top edge threat. Coaches praise his on-field growth and off-field leadership. This spring, Cheeks focused on perfecting his get-off and reading body types, showing in practice that he’s poised for a breakout campaign in Mike Tressel’s defense.
Move over, Reiger and Peterson—there’s a new sheriff in town, and he’s digging into the turf like a hog on a truffle hunt. Sebastian Cheeks has been told to crank the heat off the edge, so naturally he’s been ordering “Extra Spicy” wings to get in the zone. If he delivers double-digit sacks, fans might start calling him “The Cheesegrater” for shredding opposing quarterbacks. And when he’s not blitzing, he’ll no doubt lecture his teammates on hustle, discipline, and the correct way to stack pancakes after victory breakfasts.
Badgers Plot Nonconference Throwdown: Marquette, Villanova & More
Wisconsin’s 2026-27 basketball slate features a marquee in-state rivalry against Marquette at Fiserv Forum, a Villanova clash in Philly, and a trip to face Auburn in Nashville. The Badgers, replacing four starters, have added transfers Eian Elmer, Trey Aubrey, Victory Oneutu, and international guard Owen Foxwell, plus walk-on Josh Manchester, leaving two roster spots. With the NCAA increasing the max regular-season games to 32, Wisconsin is favoring lucrative one-off neutral-site matchups over multiteam events. Since 2022, UW has faced Villanova, Stanford, Butler, and BYU at neutral venues.
Nothing screams “we like pain” like assembling a schedule that reads like a villain’s bucket list: first round of beatings in Milwaukee, then Villanova’s Big East body blows, and finally a country-music backdrop for an Auburn ambush. It’s almost as if Athletic Director thinks, “Why stop at easy wins when you can invite the league’s best over for a barbeque?” Wisconsin clearly enjoys pushing its own players into existential crises—“Hey, freshmen, ever been smoked by three Top 25 teams in six weeks? Try it!” Fans, too, can look forward to brave new levels of panic every December.
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