The Badgers men’s basketball team needed a scorer. It’s been something said about Badgers basketball many times over the years. Well, Wisconsin now has that player in AJ Storr.
The Badgers having a six-minute field goal drought seems like a regular occurrence nearly every year especially in season-ending defeats. With Storr in tow, the Badgers haven’t gone through many scoring droughts this season and have a top-20 offense in the country in Pomeroy rankings.
Storr brings scoring punch to Badgers
While he isn’t always the most efficient scorer, Storr provides Greg Gard with a much-needed bucket-getter. When the clock is winding down, Storr can get the Badgers a basket and a good look at the hoop.
AJ Storr opens up Wisconsin’s offense. Big time athlete and scorer is something Wisconsin didn’t have last year. Just a huge difference maker for the Badgers.
— Sean Paul (@SeanPaulCBB) January 11, 2024
Storr is averaging a team-leading 16.2 points per game on 43.6% shooting and 31.4% from 3 with 3.8 rebounds per game. The St. John’s transfer is also making 80.6% of his free throws. Last year, Storr connected on over 40% of his 3-pointers but wasn’t providing much more than shooting as a freshman. With the Badgers, Storr is putting the ball in the basket and finding ways to score despite getting comfortable and finding his shot in Madison. In fact, Storr has scored in double figures in 25 straight games.
AJ Storr has now scored double figures in 25 straight games for @BadgerMBB
That’s the longest streak by a Badger since Ethan Happ tallied 42 straight spanning the 2019 and 2020 seasonspic.twitter.com/wC5vQxvyeG
— Brandon Harrison (@brandonharrison) March 8, 2024
Storr’s athleticism and ability to be a two-way player while also spacing the floor is a pivotal skillset for Wisconsin to compliment Tyler Wahl and Steven Crowl on the interior.
The Badgers have long had an issue of droughts and issues putting the ball in the hoop consistently. Well, Storr has been consistent and because of that the Badgers’ offense is at another level this season. The Badgers’ offense is ranked fourth(!) in the Pomeroy Rankings behind Alabama, conference foe Purdue and defending champ UConn. Storr has scored 13 or more points in 15 of his last 16 games, including five 20-plus point efforts. He has also scored 14 or more points in eight consecutive games. The 6-5 wing has had some key performances this year, including 28 points against Michigan State.
Storr scored 28 points on 9 for 17 shooting, including 3 of 8 from 3 and went 7-8 from the foul line against the Spartans. Storr had a season-high 29 in the Badgers’ last nonconference game vs. Chicago State. Now, with the Badgers badly needing a win Wednesday against Rutgers, Storr had 19 points and seven rebounds and one of his jaw-dropping moments:
AJ Storr had the bench HYPE! 😱😳😂 pic.twitter.com/6KFhBttVny
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) March 8, 2024
Storr brings needed athleticism to Badgers
As a freshman at St. John’s last year, Storr averaged 8.8 points per game. This year in Madison, Storr has nearly doubled that up over 16 points per game. Storr can also defend multiple positions with his size and athleticism. One thing you hope Storr does pick up in the future is his rebounding. Storr averaged fewer than two rebounds per game last year for the Red Storm and is averaging nearly four rebounds per game this year. With his jumping ability and size, you’d think he’d be a better rebounder.
Other than that, though, Storr has been everything UW and Greg Gard could have wanted out of the transfer portal. It was a rare dip into the portal for Gard, but the fit in Madison has been tremendous.
Storr the missing piece for Badgers
Well some can get a bit annoyed with Storr’s shot selection at times, he’s exactly what this team needed and has gotten from the transfer portal. The Badgers needed a guy who can get his shot whenever he wants. A guy who is ultra-aggressive looking for offense. Players like Chucky Hepburn, Max Klesmit and Wahl who are nice all-around players, but aren’t particularly aggressive or great creating their own offense. Storr was the missing ingredient creating a dangerous mix for opposing defenses. Having Storr with his athleticism and scoring mindset has made the Badgers a much more dangerous team with eyes on not just making the NCAA Tournament but making noise in the tournament.
