Big Ten Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2023-24 season
By Tuck Clarry
7. Wisconsin Badgers
Consistency yet again i a reason for optimism in this middle section of these rankings. The Badgers return virtually all of their key contributors, including junior Chucky Hepburn, who performed decently in Johnny Davis’ role last season.
Hepburn is a dog of a two-way player, providing the patented playmaking and slowdown defense that Greg Gard’s ‘Sconnies are known for. He shot 40% from 3-point last season on 168 attempts and averaged 12.2 points, 2.8 assists with 1.5 turnovers. While decent numbers for a sophomore, he will need to take another large step this season and improve his scoring inside of the arc (shot just 35% on 235 attempts from 2-point).
If Hepburn is able to develop from the tough losses last season (eight of Wisconsin’s 16 losses were by 4 points or fewer) and showcase more consistency on offense, Wisconsin might turn the corner and return to the NCAA tournament from lessons learned. Bringing back fifth-year senior forward Tyler Wahl will also aid in those efforts.
The concern for Gard and the Badgers is that most of the roster is fairly one-dimensional in how they score. Opponents know that Wahl and 7-footer Steven Crowl live in the paint. Three-point marksman Connor Essegian took just 18% of his shots at the rim and was 33% on his jumpers. St. John’s transfer guard AJ Storr answers some of these concerns, but it’s yet to be seen how his shot profile changes in Gard’s system.
If Wisconsin can flip the script and close out some of the close games their style creates, then maybe the good folks in Madison will be back to their March ways.