Could Jarrod Uthoff end up at one of Wisconsin’s biggest rivals?
As if the state of Wisconsin's fiercest rivalry needed more juice, check out which transfer is scheduled to visit Marquette sometime this week.
It's none other than Jarrod Uthoff, the redshirt freshman whose departure from Wisconsin made national headlines last month when coach Bo Ryan initially refused to release him to 26 schools before eventually relenting under intense media pressure.
Uthoff plans to visit Marquette this week and Florida later this month before revealing his decision, the Cedar Rapids Gazette reported. Iowa State and Creighton are also in the running to land Uthoff, as is Iowa even though the Hawkeyes do not have permission to contact the 6-8 freshman because Ryan only released him to schools outside the Big Ten.
At no point in his conversation with the Gazette did Uthoff tip his hand which school is his favorite at this point, but there's no doubt Marquette would be the most intriguing choice. If Uthoff transfers to Marquette, he'd be guaranteed to face the Badgers at least three times, adding more heat to an already sizzling rivalry.
Vander Blue, a onetime Wisconsin commit who eventually reneged in favor of Marquette, endured a smattering of boos during pregame introductions and whenever he touched the ball in his team's win at the Kohl Center last December. The reaction for Uthoff could be even more intense if he ever returned to the Kohl Center in a Marquette jersey.
Whichever school gets Uthoff will be getting a forward Wisconsin expected to be a key piece of its future. Had Uthoff remained with the Badgers, he likely would have come off the bench next season and competed for a starting role in two years once Jared Berggren and Mike Bruesewitz graduate.
Uthoff said he left Wisconsin because he didn't feel the Badgers' offense was as good a fit for him as he expected. We'll find out soon which program he believes is a better match.
