Last Year: 20-15; Eleventh (9-11) in the Big Ten Conference, lost in the semifinals of the NIT
Head Coach: Greg Gard (Ninth Year; 164-93 at Wisconsin, with five NCAA Tournament appearances)
Projected Starting Lineup
| PG Chucky Hepburn – 6’2″, 190 – Junior |
| SG Connor Essegian – 6’4″, 195 – Sophomore |
| SF AJ Storr – 6’7″, 202 – Sophomore |
| PF Tyler Wahl – 6’9″, 225 – Senior (5th) |
| F/C Steven Crowl – 7’0″, 247 – Senior |
Projected Starters’ 2022-23 Stats
Chucky Hepburn: 12.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.5 spg – 40.5% 3FG
Connor Essegian: 11.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 0.7 apg, 0.5 spg – 35.9% 3FG
AJ Storr: 8.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.4 spg – 40.4% 3FG @ St. John’s
Tyler Wahl: 11.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.2 spg – 42.3% FG
Steven Crowl: 12.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.5 apg, 0.5 bpg – 51.0% FG
Experienced Reserves
| G Max Klesmit – 6’4″, 200 – Senior |
| F Carter Gilmore – 6’7″, 232 – Senior |
| G Kamari McGee – 6’0″, 180 – Junior |
| F Markus Ilver – 6’9″, 225 – Junior |
| G Isaac Lindsey – 6’4″, 185 – Junior |
| F/C Chris Hodges – 6’9″, 250 – Sophomore |
Experienced Reserves’ 2022-23 Stats
Max Klesmit: 8.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.2 spg – 38.3% 3FG
Carter Gilmore: 2.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.5 spg – 40.7% FG
Kamari McGee: 1.3 ppg, 0.6 rpg, 0.5 apg, 0.2 spg – 28.0% FG
Markus Ilver: 1.6 ppg, 0.9 rpg, 0.2 apg – 29.7% FG
Isaac Lindsey: 1.5 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 0.2 apg – 31.7% FG
Chris Hodges: 0.1 ppg, 0.2 rpg, 0.1 bpg – 33.3% FG
Freshmen
| F/C Gus Yalden – 6’9″, 245 – Freshman – Consensus Top 150 recruit |
| F Nolan Winter – 6’11”, 220 – Freshman – Consensus Top 200 recruit |
| G John Blackwell – 6’4″, 194 – Freshman |
It’s been six seasons since Wisconsin went to the Sweet Sixteen. That really isn’t such a long drought, given that, until the mid-1990’s, the Badgers had endured a nearly five-decade absence from the Big Dance altogether. It goes to show how much William Francis Ryan, Jr, elevated the floor of expectations in Madison.
Still, Badger fans are hungry for a return to March success; and Greg Gard, Bo Ryan’s hand-picked successor as head coach, knows it. Gard has won shares of two Big Ten titles in the past four seasons, but the Badgers have just two NCAA Tournament victories in their last three appearances. And last season, they missed the Big Dance entirely.
Enter one of the most highly-rated recruiting classes the Badgers have signed, plus a big-time addition out of the Transfer Portal. Both things constitute a big deal at Wisconsin, where for 30+ years the main focus has been to develop from within, putting in scheme and sweat in order to maximize the talents of less-heralded recruits. This Badger team will also be an experienced one; nine out of the top ten minute-getters return from last year’s group. In fact, the Badgers return the guys who played nearly 90% of their total minutes. At a time when most coaches out there are chasing down proven guys as the best hope of consistent success, Gard & Co have assembled one of the five most-experienced rosters in America.
Three years ago, Gard and Wisconsin returned a similarly-experienced team and similarly high expectations coming off of a Big Ten co-championship. That squad limped down the stretch to 13 losses and a #8 seed.
Will this group be different? The question of how much better these Badgers can be is one which won’t get the chance to be answered fully until March rolls around. Until then, though, the Badgers are going to have some fun developing their confidence.
Since the first time he stepped onto the floor at the Kohl Center in a Wisconsin jersey, Chucky Hepburn has been the Badgers’ point guard. As befits the primary ballhandler of a detail-oriented program like Wisconsin, Hepburn carries a 176:91 assist to turnover ratio through his first two seasons. The Nebraska native took a significant step as a scorer last year, leading Wisconsin in scoring and percentage from the land of trey. His 68 makes at a 40.5% rate were good enough for seventh in the conference, and Hepburn has proven that he’s the guy to take big shots late on this team which shares the ball well. Now, Hepburn needs to grow his drive game and improve inside the arc. Hepburn shot 46.1% around the rim last year, and was under 30% from mid-range, per Bart Torvik. Maybe worse than either of those figures, Hepburn earned just 78 foul shots total in his second season. The Badgers ranked among the bottom 20 teams in all of Division I in both free throw attempts and makes last winter, and Gard can’t continue to see his primary ballhandler rank fourth on the team in free throw tries.
Knowing where he must improve, Hepburn has shed upwards of 15 pounds this offseason, while still adding strength and explosion. “Man, he’s hungry,” reserve guard Kamari McGee said of Hepburn’s efforts this summer. “I’m going to let everybody know he’s hungry…I’ve watched him. I’ve been in the gym with him, putting in the extra work in the weight room.” With more quickness off the bounce, Hepburn is hoping to score as effectively in the lane this year as he has done from deep. “You can definitely see it, the way he moves on the court,” guard Connor Essegian added. “He’s fast, he’s faster than he was last year.” A strong on-ball defender, Hepburn placed fourth in the conference in steals last season. His aggressive nature and active hands allowed Hepburn to seal a couple of different games during the first half of last year, as he came up with clinching steals on opponents’ late-game possessions. Now an upperclassmen, Hepburn is looking to put it all together in a true breakthrough year.
Like his smaller teammate, versatile seven-footer Steven Crowl is also hoping to distill his considerable abilities into a career-defining season. It’s hard for Badger fans not to dream of Crowl morphing into the second coming of Frank Kaminsky. Like their beloved Tank, Wisconsin’s current pivot is mobile, a highly skilled passer, a good jump shooter, and a dangerously multi-faceted interior scorer. Witness his performance against Bradley in the NIT last year, when Crowl went for 36 points and nine boards with five treys against one of the best defensive frontcourts in the nation. Though he’s streaky beyond 17 or so feet, Crowl must be guarded all the way out to the three point arc. Inside of it, he was wonderfully efficient last season. As a junior, Crowl made 68.9% of his tries near the bucket, and sank a strong 48.1% of all other two-point attempts, per Bart Torvik. Crowl’s most annoying talent may be his playmaking; even when well-guarded or doubled, he can earn a bucket by making a snappy feed to an open teammate. He commands the offense at times in the halfcourt, and terrific at looping feeds out of the paint to waiting shooters. Crowl handed out at least three helpers in 15 different contests last year, and has set his buddies up 134 times combined over two seasons as a starter.
There are also games when he makes less of an impact. Last year, without much post depth, the Badgers couldn’t afford to have Crowl consistently in foul trouble and still expect to have a functioning offense. This year, there are some legitimate reinforcements: and for Crowl, the time is now to bring more of a physical edge to his game at both ends of the floor. He can protect the rim, but is not an intimidating shot blocker. He averaged nearly seven rebounds per game, but was the biggest dude on the floor as Wisconsin routinely got worked on the glass last year. Crowl scored 17 or more points seven times last year, but only two of those performances came after January 10th. The fact is that he will always be more a skilled player than a bruiser, but if Crowl lets it all hang out this winter, it could transform the Badgers. He has shown the talent to change games and post big numbers, and if Crowl shows a bit of a mean streak to go with improved consistency, he has undeniable all-league potential.
The aforementioned Wahl is Wisconsin’s most experienced player. Back to use his ‘Covid Year’, Wahl is an 85-game starter for Gard who does everything well. Long and nimble enough to fill in defensively against opposing centers, Wahl will also cover out on the perimeter, and makes life a problem for whoever he is tasked with checking. He has proven very slick operating with fellow playmaking forward Crowl, and though his deep shot has not materialized as a true weapon, Wahl will stick a triple if given a clean look. Even by Wisconsin’s high standards, Wahl’s footwork around the painted area is outstanding, and he shot 57.9% around the rim last season. Like Hepburn, though, Wahl’s percentage from mid range last year was…unfortunate. Previously a solid 43.0% shooter from the in-between spots, Wahl cratered to a 24.4% rate on 119 such attempts as a senior, per Bart Torvik. For a Wisconsin side which featured no true go-to bucket-getter last year, some of those clangs from makeable distance were really tough to swallow, and Wahl is determined to end on a high note this year.
“I’ve told him…There’s been no player in Wisconsin basketball history that’s won three Big Ten championships,” Gard says of his stalwart super-senior. “He’s got a chance to be the only player in school history to do that.” Wahl’s absence due to injury for just three games after the new year sent the Badgers into a near-tailspin, as the young team which had started 11-2 lost six of their next seven tilts. He has averaged nearly the same numbers each of the past two seasons, and Wahl’s teammates have come to critically rely upon his dozen or so points, half-dozen boards, and couple twotree helpers each game. As much as any statistics can measure, Wahl’s defensive versatility is a big deal for Wisconsin’s otherwise guard-heavy rotation. If he can steadily knock down jumpers this season while keeping up all of his other great work, Wahl should blend nicely with his ascending teammates as one of the most reliable veterans around.
There have been few surprises in recent Badgers history more pleasant than Connor Essegian’s rookie performance last season
There have been few surprises in recent Badgers history more pleasant than Connor Essegian’s rookie performance last season. One of the Wisconsin-est players out there from the moment he stepped onto the floor, Essegian is smart, efficient, and savvy. He came out of seemingly nowhere to score in double figures 24 times in the Badgers’ 35 games last year, and earned a place on the Big Ten’s All-Freshman team. The young shooting guard moves without the ball naturally and creatively, and Essegian cuts to the rim briskly once he’s gotten the opponent worried about his deep ball. “He’s got a great feel offensively. The kid knows how to score,” Gard said of Essegian early last year.
Rated outside the Top 200 prospects last year by the 247 Sports composite rankings, there were whispers prior to Essegian’s arrival in Madison that he was far better than all of that. It didn’t take long for the kid from Albion, IN, to have Badger fans talking loud and proud about his skills. Starting with his fourth career game, Essegian ripped off five straight games with at least a dozen points against the likes of Dayton, Kansas, Southern Cal, Wake Forest and Marquette. Essegian led the Badgers in made three’s as a freshman, and by the end of the year, was seeing considerable defensive attention. Over Wisconsin’s final 11 games, Essegian shot just 21.0% from deep – but he still averaged 12.5 points over that stretch by getting to the foul stripe almost four times per game. So, while Hepburn was shedding pounds the past few months, Essegian hit the gym in an attempt to add some things. “I think his experience last year showed him, ‘I better get in the weight room, and I better add some muscle mass to my frame’,” Gard said this fall of Essegian’s efforts. Now, Essegian should be better-prepared to handle the rough stuff opposing teams will throw at him in an effort to keep the Badgers’ young scorer from burning them.
With solid-or-better scorers at four out of five positions, the Badgers shouldn’t rank among the fifty lowest-scoring teams in the country again. Just to make sure that things improve, though, Gard went out and signed one of the highest-profile transfers in Badger basketball history this spring. AJ Storr was a Top 100 recruit just a year ago, and showed that he could get buckets in the Big East last winter. Now, after a solid freshman season at St. John’s, the Illinois native has come back West to assume a prime scoring role for the Badgers. “I’m excited to officially be part of the Badger family!” Storr declared in a press release upon signing with Wisconsin. “One of the main reasons why I chose Wisconsin is because of the winning culture that is here.” Despite coming in as a new kid on a Red Storm roster which featured seven different veterans who may start for their respective teams this season, Storr made consistent contributions. He scored the fifth-most points on the team, and Storr was five total baskets and one-tenth of a percentage point off of the team lead in triples and 3FG%. St. John’s was an outfit which had the experienced firepower to rank among the nation’s top 50 squads in a host of offensive statistics, so Storr’s scoring impact among them was no mean feat.
The Johnnies were outright rough defensively, though, and Storr knows that he will need to improve on that end to maximize his minutes playing for Gard. “There’s been a lot of learning,” Gard said late in summer, describing how Storr had been acclimating to the new team. “When we really started implementing defensive concepts and rules and system, that’s where I kind of forewarned him back in June and July, that the fall would be a little bit different…He’s been awesome. He’s really coachable. He’s like a sponge. He asks the right questions.” The Badgers have not regularly signed, nor less featured, the type of shot-making, athletic wing player that Storr should become. When he had such a player a couple of years ago, Gard put the ball into the hands of Johnny Davis and let him rip. This team has better depth and balance than that Davis-led group, and as such, should not have to nearly sink or swim depending upon Storr’s performance. It’s possible to envision Storr charting a similar course as a Badger, though, and the Grateful Red can’t wait to show how excited they are to have him.
To give Storr a run for his minutes, last year’s top transfer is still a big part of Wisconsin’s rotation. Whether Max Klesmit comes off the bench or starts, he figures to keep right on providing strong two-way production for the Badgers. A native of Neenah, WI, Klesmit traveled down to Spartanburg, SC to get his collegiate career started. He broke out for Wofford two years ago, averaging 14.9 points and finishing fifth in the Southern Conference in steals. After returning to his home state, Klesmit debuted by starting all 33 games he played for the Badgers. A tough perimeter player who gives supreme effort even when matched against a bigger scorer, Klesmit also knows how to put his head down and get a contested bucket. He made the third-most triples for Wisconsin last winter, at a career-high 38.3% mark. Klesmit actually tied Hepburn by averaging 32.1 minutes played per game, and Gard trusts the veteran to make smart decisions, make his teammates better, and to be where the need is most urgent. “He has been terrific, especially in the last three or four weeks,” Gard praised Klesmit during the Badgers’ run to NIT semifinals last year. “The numbers show it and different stats, but it’s the timeouts and the huddles. He has been very vocal and very encouraging. He’s very competitive. He probably talked more in those huddles down the stretch than I did.”
Gard has stressed the point this fall that, despite returning most of his lineup, he has yet to select five starters. That’s a solid bit of coach-speak, but also underscores an important change. Last season, the Badgers’ rotation was blindingly obvious, because only so many players could truly make an every-game impact. This time around, the team’s depth has been enhanced – and Storr isn’t the only new youngster who’s pushing for a big role.
| Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks) |
| 65.7 – Possessions Per Game (344th) |
| 31.6% – Opponent 3FG Percentage (56th) |
| 47.5% – Team Rebounding Percentage (303rd) |
| 9.9 – Opponent FT Made Per Game (12th) |
| 48.3 – Team Effective FG% (291st) |
Gus Yalden is another Wisconsin native who has returned to suit up for Buckingham U. Badger. The stout, wide-shouldered Appleton product is a consensus 4-star freshman, and spent last season in the Nike EYBL. There he acquitted himself well against some of the nation’s top post prospects; and watching Yalden operate, Badgers assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft saw a whole lot to like. “I loved the competitive spirit,” Krabbenhoft told Badger247 after observing one such tilt. “The thing that allows him to succeed when the lights are the brightest is that he’s a fiery competitor. Sometimes he walks that line a little close, but we’ve had our fair share of guys like that.” Yalden has soft hands and good, quick feet as a post scorer, and he is developing some nice moves inside. Yalden is an abrasive player who makes up for a lack of high-flying athleticism with a willingness to out-work and out-muscle the other guys. He’s becoming a solid shooter from the elbow and around the paint, and must continue to become a knockdown foul shooter, for Yalden is going to earn trips to the stripe. He’s also another Badger who has worked to transform himself physically this summer. Yalden has cut his body fat and added even more muscle – and a bit of explosion, too – in anticipation of introducing himself to the B1G in a very rude way this winter.
Up until recently it had been expected that, due to his size and attitude, Yalden would be ready to step immediately into a legitimate role, while his classmate Nolan Winter would be brought along slowly. All it took to change those predictions was for fall practices to begin. A lanky prospect out of Minnesota, Winter has long been viewed as a tantalizing prospect because of his perimeter skills. He looks comfortable launching jumpers and has good, repeatable form with range out to the land of trey. A smooth passer both outside and in the paint, Winter projects as another clever Badger post player who spaces the floor and doesn’t let burly opponents play to their greatest advantages. While Winter needs to add strength, he moves quickly from end to end, is quite nimble in the paint, and uses his reach well to defend the rim and work the glass. After getting him on campus, Wisconsin’s coaches have consistently spoken about how quickly Winter has made a genuine impact. “Nolan, he obviously caught our attention this summer. I think a little further along than we had envisioned,” Gard admitted this fall. Winter has shown enough to earn some looks paired up with Crowl and three guards in practice. The Badgers ranked among the nation’s ten worst shot-blocking teams last year. If Crowl and Winter can swat some shots and also get rolling to the other end, the Badgers should be able to snuff out a couple more possessions and even – maybe, possibly – do a bit more rim-running in transition.
| Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on |
| vs Marquette – December 2 |
| vs Tennessee – November 10 |
| @ Arizona – December 9 |
| @ Providence – November 14 |
| N – Virginia – November 20 |
The post depth behind Wahl and Crowl last year pretty much boiled down to a fella named Carter Gilmore. He is the type of try-hard, physical, and assignment-sound player that Gard loves, and Gilmore does winning things which lead by example. Unfortunately, he probably shouldn’t be on the floor for 19 minutes per game, which was Gilmore’s role a season ago. He always brings great energy and is one of the Badgers’ best offensive rebounders. Though he mostly relies on putbacks and good feeds to score, Gilmore did shoot 71.1% around the cup last year. The problem was his less-then-twenty percent rate on all other shot attempts. If the freshmen can balance things out up front, each of the Badgers’ three veteran forwards should get to be better versions of themselves. Markus Ilver and Chris Hodges combined to appear in 32 games and play just 149 minutes a year ago, and each is back hoping to earn some more run. Ilver is a smooth, perimeter-oriented forward who can also slash towards the rim. He’s got some real offensive potential, and if Ilver can make some buckets, he will get the chance to play more and more. Hodges was an even deeper reserve, but has size and mobility of his own.
McGee arrived last season as a transfer from Green Bay. The Racine, WI, native didn’t play much, but had some moments of legitimate impact after the year in his second collegiate season. McGee brings good defense and hustle, but was inconsistent as a shooter last winter. Now, stronger and having worked hard on his outside shot this summer, he’s back to provide solid depth behind Hepburn. Isaac Lindsey also returns, and adds more length to the guard rotation. If fall practices are any indication, though, both veterans will get a substantial challenge from freshman John Blackwell. Though he was rated just outside of the Top 200 (like Essegian), Blackwell is being talked about already as another underrated prospect. “Most guys when they come in, it’s all about scoring, but he was defending. It looked like he definitely could already hold his own at that age,” Badgers assistant coach Dean Oliver remembered the impression Blackwell made working out with his future teammates last year during his official recruiting visit. “They (the veteran Badgers) talked about how good of a teammate he was. Helps out on defense, talks, and does the little things that most guys that age don’t do.” Blackwell brings more size and length than most of Wisconsin’s other guards, and if he can defend bigger perimeter players at a high level, Blackwell will have a leg up on the competition.
Wisconsin has struggled to score consistently throughout Gard’s tenure. The Badgers defend well, share the ball well, take good care of their possessions, and have consistently proven that they can bend opponents to their preferred pace. Made buckets, though – and attempts from the free throw line – consistently elude the Badgers. Gard won’t be pushing his guys to play a whole lot faster this year; but he does feel as though they can be better – at any pace. “You look back at our 2015 (national runner-up) team, which averaged 1.29 points-per-possession, it’s the slowest team we’ve ever had here,” Gard told reporters during fall practices. “I’m more concerned with (points-per-possession). We were 1.06 last year, we need to be one point one something.”
With more talent than usual, some youngsters who have only just begun to show their full abilities, and all of those returning minutes, Wisconsin’s coaching staff believes that they’ve added the quality depth to produce quality competition; and quality results. “When you have that competition around you, you can’t get complacent, and you can’t half-step. You don’t want to have a bad day or somebody’s going to pass you,” Gard explained this fall. “That’s (the) way we want it, and that’s what we want every day, and they embrace it.”
The Badgers often win because they out-execute and outlast their opponents. This year, though, they have a genuinely talented roster. With a blend of veterans yet to reach their ceilings and hungry newcomers who seem to fit real positions of need, Wisconsin looks to have the mix that so many top programs are searching for. “Very rarely do you get a chance to have everybody back…If you can retain the core, you know, and build upon what they went through last year…to have all these guys committed, I think speaks volumes to where their minds are,” Gard says of the team he’s coming to know. “And I know what their expectations are: they’re high…this group wants to chase more titles.”
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