Madison, WI – The third Wisconsin basketball player to enter the transfer portal this spring has found a new home. After announcing his decision to seek opportunities elsewhere after three seasons with the Wisconsin Badgers, a veteran forward has landed with a program Wisconsin fans are a bit familiar with.
UW head coach Greg Gard's portal losses have not been without his gains. To overhaul a previously veteran-laden roster, the two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year has made four transfer additions thus far. Gard lost six outgoing seniors who exhausted their eligibility, including three of his five starters.
Although Chris Hodges was not one of those graduating seniors, he has moved on from the Badgers and is headed west.
Former Wisconsin Basketball Forward Chris Hodges Commits to Big Sky Basketball Program
In early April, Hodges announced on social media that "after much thought and prayer," he would be entering the transfer portal ahead of his final season of college basketball eligibility. Similarly, revealed where he would be transferring to in another social media post on Sunday.
"Let's Goo Cats!!" the 6-foot-9, 239-pound big man said, committing to the Montana State Bobcats basketball program. Wisconsin defeated Montana State in the Bobcats' season-opener 79-67 last November inside the Kohl Center. Hodges did not play in the contest.
During his time in Madison, Hodges logged 66 minutes in 40 games.
The Schaumburg, Illinois native heads to Bozeman, Montana, after a 15-18 season for the Bobcats. There, Hodges projects to have a larger role after not quite cracking Gard's rotation in Madison. Perhaps a different set of circumstances will provide more opportunities for the former three-star recruit.
"Our teams are designed very differently." Montana State head coach Matt Logie said following the loss to Wisconsin in November.
There were a fair number of similar tendencies between UW and MSU this season. They had similar three-point attempt rates, both limited turnovers on offense, neither forced many turnovers on defense, and neither was particularly impressive on the offensive glass. The big turning point, however, was Wisconsin's additional ability to get to the free-throw line that Montana State did not possess.
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