Wisconsin did not go into the transfer portal to find a polished backcourt star. It sought a higher-ceiling guard, and Addie Deal fits that bill. The 6-foot guard's flashes during her freshman year at Iowa only hint at what her pedigree suggests is coming.
Deal arrived from Iowa after a 2025-26 freshman season that brought All-Big Ten Freshman Team honors and two Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards. She averaged 5.1 points, 1.6 assists, and 1.2 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per game, shooting 39.4% from the field, 29.7% from 3-point range, and 68.0% at the free-throw line. Her résumé also included a career-high 20 points against Ohio State, two five-assist games (Ohio State and Western Illinois), and a four-3s outing against Oregon, the kind of single-game spikes that hint at more responsibility down the road.
Deal’s size and skill are hard to teach, as is the recruiting profile that preceded them. She was the No. 9 overall recruit in the class of 2025, according to 247Sports, starred at Mater Dei, and was rated the top player in California entering college. She also arrives as a program first, the first player in Wisconsin history who was a McDonald’s All-American coming out of high school, and that kind of talent level is designed to scale with opportunity.
Done DEAL ✅2025 McDonald’s All-American, former five-star recruit, and All-Big Ten Freshman Team selection Addie Deal is a Badger! 🦡 pic.twitter.com/5EFWtQCIer
— Wisconsin Women’s Basketball (@BadgerWBB) April 15, 2026
The question is consistency. Deal’s 29.7% mark from deep and 68.0% at the line show she is not yet a reliable perimeter shot-maker, and her 1.6 assists against 1.7 turnovers per game underscore that her decision-making is still developing. This addition focuses more on upside and growth than immediate, all-around production.
With three seasons left after her freshman year, Deal gives Wisconsin time to develop her into a bigger offensive piece. Next to watch is how quickly she earns a larger role and whether improved shooting and cleaner ball security turn those flashes and that résumé into nightly impact.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin Badgers Add Addie Deal from Iowa via Transfer Portal