MADISON, Wis. — The in-state rivalry between the men's basketball programs at Wisconsin and Marquette could get even more interesting in the near future.
Jarrod Uthoff, who decided last month to transfer from Wisconsin, reportedly is considering Marquette as one of his options.
Uthoff told the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette on Sunday that he planned to visit Marquette some time this week. The 6-foot-8 forward already has visited Creighton and Iowa State. The Gazette reported Uthoff also plans to take a visit to Florida in the coming weeks.
Uthoff's decision to transfer made national news when Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan initially restricted him from contacting 26 schools: the entire Big Ten and ACC, plus Iowa State, Marquette and Florida. All restrictions outside the Big Ten have since been lifted.
Iowa also is among Uthoff's final list of schools, though a transfer there would be more complicated. Uthoff did not appeal the Big Ten restrictions, meaning he would be required to sit out a year without the aid of scholarship at Iowa. He also wouldn't be able to talk to the Hawkeyes coaching staff until enrolling in school there.
Uthoff attended Cedar Rapids Jefferson High School and was named the 2011 Iowa Mr. Basketball.
A message left for Uthoff on Tuesday morning has yet to be returned.
Marquette does have one roster vacancy left to fill. The Golden Eagles announced Monday they had added former Arizona State guard Trent Lockett to the team. Lockett is transferring to be closer to his mom, who recently was diagnosed with cancer and lives in Minnesota.
Marquette's roster spots opened up when Texas high school recruit Aaron Durley was released from his scholarship and sophomore Jamail Jones opted to leave the program.
Wherever Uthoff winds up, he'll be required to sit out next season under NCAA transfer rules.
"There's no real timeline," Uthoff told FOXSportsWisconsin.com last month. "I just want to explore my options and then make a decision based on that. … Staying close to home is pretty important. At this point, I'm looking for a good fit."
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