It’s hard to believe but Wisconsin basketball is almost here. After an exhibition this Sunday, the Badgers begin their season on Nov. 7. Brad Davison and Johnny Davis have left the program, resulting in a ton of new faces. So who is this team? What do we know about them?
There Are a Ton Of Minutes Up For Grabs for Wisconsin Basketball
Johnny Davis and Brad Davison, without question, were the best two players on the Badgers last season. They were a huge reason this team won a share of the Big Ten. Davis and Davison covered up a lot of questions last year. At the time, the Badgers were predicted 10th in the Big Ten. Obviously, we all know what happened after that.
A ton of minutes up for grabs can be scary, but also exciting. It sounds like the Badgers have up to 12 players that can be a part of the rotation this year. That is crazy for most college programs. This year is a bunch of young pups that are eager to get their college careers started or are looking forward to getting out of the limited roles they had last season.
Hepburn, Wahl, Crowl, Then Who?
Greg Gard has made it clear that the big three of Wisconsin Basketball this year is sophomore Chucky Hepburn, senior Tyler Wahl, and junior Steven Crowl. These three started last season with Davis and Davison. All three took huge steps as well. Wahl proved he can be a legit scoring option, Hepburn was amazing as a true freshman running the Wisconsin Basketball offense, and Crowl was solid after playing very little as a freshman behind Nate Reuvers and Micah Potter.
The question is who is next? Wofford transfer Max Klesmit has seemed to take a hold of Davison’s spot in the lineup. He has a lot of college basketball under his belt and is a threat behind the arc. The last starting spot I would guess is Jordan Davis. Davis has the most experience returning and Jachobi Neath is still recovering from injury. Markus Ilver and Carter Gilmore could also crack the rotation, but both didn’t play much last year. UWGB transfer Kamari McGee will also be in the rotation at guard.
Can This Wisconsin Basketball Team Put Up A Run Like Last Season?
It’s hard to say what this Wisconsin Basketball team can accomplish this year and it’s hard to repeat what they did. Johnny Davis was a top 10 pick in the NBA Draft and Brad Davison is playing professionally overseas. This year, the Badgers were predicted to finish ninth. It’s probably a fair spot because of all the uncertainty.
However, I would not sleep on this team. There are not a lot of college minutes on this roster, but a majority do have minutes under their belts. Most of these players played big minutes at some point during the year too. I don’t think they win the Big Ten, but I believe this is an NCAA tournament team with the chance to win a game in March as well.
It will be a long year, but there should be some excitement around this Wisconsin Basketball team.
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