4 Wisconsin Badgers with the most to gain in basketball exhibition vs Oklahoma

Growing pains are to be expected for Bieliauskas. He committed three fouls and two turnovers during the Red/White scrimmage last week. But after a chat with Gard at halftime about his over-aggression on defense, the Lithuanian forward played a cleaner game in the second half.

Elijah Gray

Gray told reporters he missed practices this Fall with a concussion and was sidelined for the Red/White scrimmage due to illness. He remains an unknown due to his limited action.

The Temple transfer stands at just 6-foot-9 and is more of a natural power forward. But given the senior's developed frame and vast experience compared to the rest of the Badgers frontcourt, Gray could emerge as the top reserve forward and even see some minutes at the center position.

Gray averaged nine points and four rebounds in 20 minutes per game at Temple, and he's improved as a three-point shooter each season.

Rapp and Winter are slated for hefty workload's this season, and if Gray can showcase an extra level of reliability and positional versatility that the rest of Wisconsin's youthful forwards don't have, he could quickly become one of the Badgers top bench options.

Hayden Jones

Jones stood out in Wisconsin's Red/White scrimmage. He looked comfortable as a ball-handler, and he used his size and sudden change of pace to get downhill and open up shots for himself or a teammate.

The New Zealander also had some quality defensive possessions early in the scrimmage.

His path to regular playing time is less clear, with established contributors like Nick Boyd, John Blackwell, Andrew Rohde and Jack Janicki all slated for significant minutes.

Still, if Wisconsin deploys a starting lineup with Boyd, Blackwell, and Rohde, the team will have limited ball-handling options in the second unit.

Gard could solve that problem by staggering the three guards heavily, but Jones' emergence as a reliable ball-handler and facilitator could allow for Gard to keep the starting trio intact for longer sequences.

Fellow freshman Zach Kinziger has some on-ball experience, but he figures to be more of a three-and-D player in Year 1. Blackwell pointed to Janicki potentially having more on-ball responsibilities this season, which presents another alternative.

Braeden Carrington

Carrington is all but guaranteed a rotation spot. His teammates have raved about his defensive game and ability to knock down jumpers. The senior Tulsa transfer was even called "one of the keys" for the Badgers this season.

His role on the team still could fall under a large range of outcomes. He could press for a top bench role by showcasing his pesky on-ball defense and high basketball IQ to make winning plays.

Or, he could fall into a 7-to-10-minute role that gives the starters a breather instead of providing a threat to opposing teams.

If Carrington can fill the highly coveted three-and-D playstyle with solid positional versatility, he could challenge Janicki as the top option off the bench.