Grading the big man’s freshman season for his hometown team
Mar 12, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard is shown with forward Will Garlock during the first half of their third round game of the Big Ten tournament at United Center.
Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman/USA Today Network via Imagn Images | Mark Hoffman - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/Imagn Images Will Garlock played a limited role for Wisconsin this past season, but nonetheless appeared in 30 games as a true freshman, showcasing the staff’s belief in his long-term upside. He’ll once again be battling for minutes in an experienced frontcourt, but. Can he progress enough to be a viable frontcourt piece in extended stretches? That is to be determined.
Before we officially turn the page to Garlocks sophomore campaign, here is a final assessment of his freshman season in Madison. Playing in 30 games as a true freshman in the Big Ten isn’t something a lot of guys do, even if it was just a few spot minutes per game. He logged double-digit minutes in eight contests, two of which came in conference play. They were, however, blowout wins over Penn State and Maryland.
Garlock flashed a few encouraging skills throughout the season, but they came in streaks. In the first five games of the season, the big man logged 15 assists, with a career-high four against SIUE.
He showed some legitimate vision feeding the post from the top of the key, which could be a valuable skill as he develops,On Jan. 17 against Rutgers, in just six minutes, he scored four points and added four rebounds, flashing his ability to be an interior presence on offense and clean up possessions on the defensive end. If you want to play as a big and not shoot from the outside, you have to hold your own down low and he flashed that ability at times throughout the season.
In the Big Ten Tournament against Washington, he notched two blocks in seven minutes. Gard added Victory Onuetu in the portal to bolster the interior, but should Austin Rapp and Nolan Winter start in the frontcourt, any rim protection ability off the bench would be valuable. Mar 12, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Will Garlock scores against the Washington Huskies during the first half at United Center.
Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn ImagesGarlock will have to improve overall on the glass, but when teams hunted him in the pick-and-roll, it was clear that that is where he needs to grow the most in order to have a real impact. Given the physical traits, he’ll likely never be a guy you want to switch onto guards in ball-screen actions.
Still, he’ll need to be able to apply a little more pressure to ball handlers coming off screens to buy some time for Wisconsin’s perimeter defenders. Opposing guards took advantage of Garlock in the drop coverage throughout the season, and improvement from that standpoint will help him be playable for longer stretches in 2026-27. The other key area for improvement is growing as a rim protector.
In the March 4 game against Maryland, the big man blocked his first shot since the previously mentioned SIUE game on Nov. 17. On a few occasions, he picked up a couple fouls in his limited minutes, including four in those seven minutes against Washington. Growth deterring shots without fouling will be a huge factor on if he can have an expanded role next season.
It’s safe to say Garlock is a bit of a project, but he got plenty of valuable reps in his freshman season, especially when other frontcourt members missed games throughout the year. A DNP-CD in the NCAA Tournament was a good indicator that he wasn’t ready to be a Big Ten rotational big yet, but the struggles were nothing out of the ordinary, and the flashes he showed in a variety of skills made me inclined to give him a slight bump up from the baseline C-grade.
Jan 22, 2026; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions forward Josh Reed looks to pass against Wisconsin Badgers forward Will Garlock during the first half at Rec Hall. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn ImagesGarlock is set to return in 2025-26, and likely in a similar capacity.
With Rapp and Winter expected to start, and Oneutu set to join the frontcourt, it feels unlikely he sees a role much larger than that of his in 2025-26. Although, if he is able to find some consistency on the glass and improve guarding in ball-screen actions, perhaps his spot minutes could come in slightly longer stretches. Loading recommendations...
Please wait while we load personalized content recommendationsDrew Gentile is a Wisconsin native and has been covering Badger sports across a number of outlets, including at The Badger Herald. He is majoring in journalism and sports media at the University of Wisconsin. Drew also covers the Horizon League for SB Nation's Mid-Major Madness.
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