Brackets for the 2024 WIAA state basketball tournament were released on Sunday, with action set to begin on Feb. 27.
BadgerBlitz.com takes a look at six Wisconsin targets to track during tournament play.
Division 1: Brackets | Division 2 Brackets | Division 3 Brackets | Division 4 Brackets | Division 5 Brackets |
DE PERE GUARD ZACH KINZIGER
Wisconsin commit Zach Kinziger and his De Pere teammates take a 21-1 record into the Division 1 field as a No 1 seed. The only loss for the Redbirds this season came against Wisconsin Lutheran, which features five-star Duke signee Kon Knueppel. De Pere captured a gold ball in 2023.
Kinziger, who committed to the Badgers last summer, is averaging 19.5 points per game, according to wissports.net.
"I just think it's a perfect fit for me," Kinziger told BadgerBlitz.com in August. "I love the coaching staff, the culture and the tradition they have over there. I feel like it's right for me and so I told myself, 'why wait?' I love everything about Wisconsin and I figured now is the right time to jump on it and continue to build our relationship. I'm looking forward to being a Badger."
NICOLET WING DAVION HANNAH
Nicolet (18-4) is No. 1 seed in the Division 2 field. The Knights are led by Davion Hannah, the No. 43 ranked player in the 2025 class.
The Badgers have been tracking Hannah closely for almost two years.
"They want me and they want me bad," Hannah told BadgerBlitz.com. "I'm a home-town kid and it would be beautiful to stay home. The whole state would love for me to do that, so it's a great option. Coach (Greg) Gard loves me and I love Coach Gard. That's pretty much how our relationship is."
MIDDLETON CENTER WILL GARLOCK
Middleton has lost six of its last 10 games and enters as No. 10 seed in the Division 1 field. The Cardinals are led by Will Garlock, who picked up an offer from the Badgers this past summer, as well as sophomore guard Isaiah Oliver, the son of UW head coach Dean Oliver.
A three-star prospect, Garlock also lists scholarships from Iowa, Marquette, Penn State and Virginia Tech.
"I'm really open still," Garlock told Rivals.com. "I think people put Wisconsin there because I'm a hometown kid living ten minutes away from the campus. They probably think it's like a no-brainer. I feel like my recruitment has slowed down since then because all the tweets and fans out there think I'm going to Wisconsin. But I tell everyone -- every reporter and coach -- I'm still open. I don't have any closed doors."
WAUWATOSA WEST CENTER KAI ROGERS
Like Hannah, Kai Rogers has been a long-time target for Gard and his staff. The four-star talent leads a Wauwatosa West (16-7) squad that has a shot to get to Madison. The Trojans, however, will likely have to get through No. 1 seed Pewaukee and Nebraska signee Nick Janowski.
"I would say I was a little shocked because it was one of my earlier offers from my home-town school, so I was really happy about that," Rogers said of Wisconsin. "The visits to Wisconsin were great but right now I'm just open to everything. I like taking visits to see how everyone interacts with each other and the style of play for each school. I've been to Wisconsin more than other schools because it's a closer trip for me.
"They play through their bigs a lot and that's appealing to me. We do that at my school and I like being involved like that. It would also be nice to play close to home if I wanted to."
OSHKOSH NORTH FORWARD XZAVION MITCHELL
Xzavion Mitchell and Stevie Clark form one of the better one-two tandems in the state, and the duo is a big reason why No. 3 Oshkosh North figures to be a Division 1 title contender come March. A matchup with No. 2 Arrowhead could take place in the sectionals on March 7.
On the recruiting front, Mitchell is a top priority for the Badgers. The Rivals150 prospect visited Madison twice for games this season.
"It (Wisconsin vs. Marquette) was a crazy game," Mitchell said. "They showed a lot of good stuff against Marquette and showed a lot of fight. I was also there for Tennessee and they really improved from that game. They played well together as a group and they locked up defensively. That was great to see because I base my game off of my defense. The atmosphere and the fans were crazy and Wisconsin is a great school that is involved with me.
"Wisconsin texts and send letters all the time just letting me know that they want me. They consider me family already and I like that they're not overdoing it. I'm heavy on that - I like coaches that apply the pressure but are also chill with the whole process. I don't want to feel rushed during the process and they don't want me to rush anything on my end. They respect me for staying patient and that's just one of the things that stands out to me about Wisconsin."
THE PRAIRIE SCHOOL FORWARD LATREVION FENDERSON
LaTrevion Fenderson, who will reclassify to the 2026 class, picked up an offer from the Badgers this past summer. He leads The Prairie School (11-12) in the Division 4 field, with a matchup with Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic likely on the horizon in the regional final.
Fenderson is a cousin of current UW point guard Kamari McGee, who played his prep ball at Racine St. Catherine's. Fenderson watched McGee and the Badgers defeat Marquette at the Kohl Center earlier this winter.
"My cousin goes there, Kamari McGee," Fenderson said. "I talk to him every day about Wisconsin. He tells me that it’s a great school to be at. But he also says to go to the best place for me.
"It was a fun atmosphere at the Wisconsin vs. Marquette game. Seeing all the Wisconsin players on the court dancing and having fun, it was great to see. I didn’t storm the court but it was a lot of fun to see and I was happy to be there."
Others considered: Gavin Gores (Cumberland), Vaughn Karvala (Oregon), Josh Manchester (Mount Horeb), Andrew Jensen (Kaukauna) and Dooney Johnson (Milwaukee Juneau), among others.
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