The big reason why Wisconsin missed the NCAA Tournament last season was because of their horrific metrics. But due to the rest of their resume, I was bold and thought they should’ve been in. I was wrong, of course, but the Badgers did have some excellent wins. Not many teams bring as much of their roster as Wisconsin does. The Badgers return 89.6% of their minutes and 92.6% of their possession minutes. The reason Wisconsin didn’t win more games last year was because they were 331st in scoring average and 322nd in FG%. If they can fix that, then they can compete.
You can check out my #25 team here.
Preseason College Basketball Rankings: #24 Wisconsin Badgers
As I said before, Wisconsin returns most of its team, including 4.5 of their starters, and has a good mix of experience and younger guys. The experienced players are three seniors, including one super senior. That super senior is Tyler Wahl. Last season was his best one yet. He was second on the team in rebounds and assists, as well as averaging a career-high 11.3 PPG. Seven-footer Steven Crowl took a big step forward last year. He averaged 12.1 points (second on the team) and 6.9 rebounds (led the team) per game. If he continues to improve, he can be one of the best big men in the conference. Fellow senior Max Klesmit had a down year after transferring in from Wofford. If he can return to his Wofford form, it would immensely help this team.
The younger guys are led by Chucky Hepburn. He was the team’s leading scorer. If he can shoot better, he can have a breakout year and be one of the better point guards in the Big Ten. Connor Essegian was not a highly touted recruit coming out of high school despite being 10th all-time in scoring in the state of Indiana. He didn’t care. As a true freshman, he played in all 35 games, starting 19, and was third on the team in scoring with 11.7 PPG. That got him Big Ten All-Freshman honors.
AJ Storr transfers in from St. John’s. The Big East All-Freshman selection averaged 8.8 points per game for the Red Storm as a true freshman despite playing in a crowded backcourt. Storr has a chance to elevate his game further this season as he is likely the Badgers’ sixth man.
Projected Lineup
PF – Steven Crowl (12.1 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 2.5 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.5 BPG)
PF – Tyler Wahl (11.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.4 BPG)
SG – Connor Essegian (11.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.0 BPG)
SG – Max Klesmit (8.4 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG)
PG – Chucky Hepburn (12.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG)
