With the start of college basketball season in early November, we’ll examine the conference as a whole and Indiana’s roster over the coming weeks.
Today, our team previews continue with Wisconsin.
Previously: Penn State, Washington, Minnesota, USC, Northwestern, Nebraska, Iowa, Oregon, Maryland
Wisconsin won 22 games and earned a No. 5 seed in the 2024 NCAA tournament. However, after an upset loss to James Madison in March Madness, the Badgers had to retool their roster this offseason.
Greg Gard had planned to return four starters as he planned for his 10th season in Madison but it didn’t work out that way.
The team’s leading scorer, AJ Storr, left for Kansas. Its point guard, Chucky Hepburn, is now at Louisville. Rather than just needing to replace one starter in Tyler Wahl, the Badgers were tasked with replacing three.
The two starters who are back – Steven Crowl and Max Klesmit – have no shortage of experience. Both players are entering their fifth seasons.
Crowl, a 7-foot, 245-pound center, averaged 11.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists last season in 29 minutes per game. He also shot close to 45 percent on 3s and 74.2 percent from the free-throw line. With all of the roster turnover, Crowl should see his usage grow in his final season.
Klesmit, a 6-foot-4 guard, shot 39.8 percent on 3s and averaged 9.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 28.6 minutes per game. The Neenah, Wisconsin native will be one of the league’s top perimeter shooters.
While the loss of Storr leaves a significant void, Wisconsin is hopeful sophomore John Blackwell can take a major leap forward after a stellar freshman season. Blackwell earned All-Freshman team honors in the Big Ten while averaging eight points and 3.2 rebounds in 18.5 minutes per game off the bench. He shot 45.5 percent on 3s and 82.1 percent from the free-throw line. The 6-foot-4 guard will be a focal point of the Badger offense and can also become a disruptive defender.
The Badgers also dipped into the portal and landed Missouri transfer John Tonje, who played just 78 total minutes last season due to a foot injury. The 6-foot-5 wing was a major factor back in the 2022-23 season at Colorado State. Tonje averaged 14.6 points and 4.7 rebounds at Colorado State and shot 38.9 percent on 3s. Wisconsin is hopeful his injury is behind him and he can return to that form.
Hepburn’s departure means Wisconsin will have a competition for starting point guard minutes…