After what was a such a promising start to the Wisconsin basketball season, the Badgers had an awful moth of February. Then came a solid two weeks that ended in a trip to the Big Ten Tournament Championship game. Unfortunately, that momentum did not ride into the the NCAA Tournament. Wisconsin was knocked out Friday night by 12 seed James Madison, who was clearly better than their seed suggested. With the season over and no games until November, here were four overall takeaways from this season.
The Newcomers Provided Something Last Year’s Team Did Not Have
Before the season began, Greg Gard continued to mention about the depth and talent this year’s team had that they did not last season. He was right about that, but seemed to only trust six guys consistently in the final stretch.
Sophomore transfer AJ Storr and true freshmen John Blackwell and Nolan Winter provided some much needed help to this team. Storr ended up being the best player on the roster. I don’t think anyone saw the jump Blackwell would have in year one. He ended up making the all-freshmen team in the Big Ten this season and was a great sixth man. Winter had his up and down moments, but I thought he was productive as a true freshman in the rotation.
We don’t know about the future of Storr, but as a Wisconsin basketball fan, you have to be really excited to see what jump Blackwell and Winter make into their sophomore seasons.
Wisconsin Basketball Was Not Good On the Defensive Side
Even though this team missed the NCAA Tournament last season, they gave everything they had every night. You could never question the fight and effort they gave. While it ended up short, fans were supportive of that team.
This year, after losing only one player in the rotation from the season prior, was a different story. There were multiple times I can think of where I questioned the effort of this Wisconsin basketball team on the defensive side. At times, it was a joke to be brutally honest.
This team provided little to no defense in the paint and were beaten badly so many times in the pick and roll defense. Greg Gard was rightfully angry with the defense from this team and he had every right to be. That better change and change fast next season.
Wisconsin Basketball Has a Good Core Coming Back
As mentioned before, we don’t know what the future will hold for Storr, but I would be pretty surprised if anyone else who played minutes in the rotation consistently left for the transfer portal.
You would have to guess Chucky Hepburn, Max Klesmit, Steven Crowl, Blackwell, Winter, Kamari McGee, and Connor Essegian will all return to the team next season. There is room to add at least a transfer, maybe two. The addition of star guard Daniel Freitag should give this roster another athletic boost.
Assuming this is the rotation next year, Wisconsin basketball has a team that can be a top five team in the Big Ten next season. UCLA, USC, and Washington don’t necessarily scare me, but Oregon could be a team to keep an eye on.
2024-2025 Is a Big Year For Greg Gard
I mentioned last year that Greg Gard deserved the opportunity to fix the roster. With what AJ Storr and John Blackwell did, he did that and then some. Credit goes to Gard for that.
I am also not someone to judge a coach based on what they do in the NCAA Tournament. On the other hand, Wisconsin basketball has not reached the Sweet 16 since 2017. That does not happen with this program. You could also argue they would have made the Sweet 16 in 2023 if Chucky Hepburn did not get injured and Johnny Davis was not 100%. It’s also hard to judge the 2020 COVID year because the Badgers would have likely made the Sweet 16 that year as they were playing the best basketball in the country prior to the shutdown.
I will also say, Greg Gard does need to start producing more wins in the NCAA Tournament. For a program like Wisconsin basketball, you can’t have only two tournament wins in seven years. A lot of fans are calling for his job right now. I am not one of those, but I will say Gard has to begin winning more tournament games.
I do hate to break it to those who want Gard gone, but it is not happening this summer. I would be shocked if he was not back next season. However, I will say if Wisconsin basketball misses the tournament or loses right away in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, then I think some discussions need to be had.
Follow me on Twitter @DylanBuboltz and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here! Also, check out our merch store for some amazing WSH merchandise!
