After looking at why to be optimistic about Wisconsin basketball this upcoming season, today I look at why it’s okay to be cautious and a little pessimistic about the season.
The Badgers do have three starters to replace. However, players like John Blackwell and Nolan Winter played well enough to take the next step up this season. Add in transfers Cameron Hunter, Xavier Amos, and John Tonje and there is a solid seven man rotation for Greg Gard right now. Here are my three reasons why I would be cautious.
Wisconsin Basketball Needs Time For This Unit to Gel
When you have to replace 10 years of Wisconsin basketball experience combined between Chucky Hepburn, AJ Storr, and Tyler Wahl, it’s going to take some time for this team to gel and work together. Sure it helps the players are on campus this summer and will begin practice in October, but it’s different when you play games that matter against players not on your team.
The good news? Cameron Hunter and Xavier Amos bring experience to this team. They should be able to get into the flow relatively fast. On the other hand, the Big Ten is a different animal. It’s a physical league and one of the best college basketball conferences in the country, Having three new starters in the Big Ten will take time to adjust, You just hope it’s sooner rather than later.
Have to Replace a Ton of Production
Wisconsin basketball has to replace 36 points a game from last season. That is how much Hepburn, Storr, and Wahl provided on a nightly basis. All three were above average to very good defenders.
Hunter and Amos should step in and take a good chuck of that load, but players like John Blackwell and Nolan Winter will have to increase their offensive production this season, They should be able to do that as sophomores.
Others will need to step up as well. I look at players like Markus Ilver, Kamari McGee, and Daniel Freitag to add to that offensive production.
Who is the Leader on This Wisconsin Basketball Team?
Clearly, Max Klesmit will be the leader on this team. You could argue if it wasn’t Tyler Wahl last season, it was Klesmit. He’s tough and plays both sides of the court very well. Look for him to be a top player teams will want to shut down on their scouting report.
Along with the defense does come foul trouble, something Klesmit does run into more than most would like. If that happens, who is the leader on the court? It’s likely Steven Crowl, but he is not much of a vocal leader. It’s not a knock on Crowl because he leads by example, but I believe each team needs that spark. It has to come from a veteran who has been in this program for awhile.
The first player I think of is Kamari McGee. However, he will likely have limited minutes again. It feels like a player like Blackwell will need to be that third leader.
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on Twitter at @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!
