2024-25 Big Ten offseason at a glance: Wisconsin Badgers

  • 05/30/2024 7:40 am in

Welcome to “Big Ten offseason at a glance,” a team-by-team look at the conference at the start of the summer. We’ll examine roster movement for each Big Ten roster and give an early outlook for each Big Ten program for the 2024-25 season.

Previously: Penn State, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Oregon, Washington, Maryland, Nebraska

Today: Wisconsin (22-14 overall in 2023-24, 11-9 in Big Ten play)

Wisconsin won 22 games and reached the 2024 Big Ten tournament finals before falling to James Madison 72-61 in the first round of the 2024 NCAA tournament. Greg Gard is entering his 10th season at Wisconsin and hasn’t reached the Sweet Sixteen since 2017.

Wisconsin roster movement

Players returning with eligibility remaining: Kamari McGee, Max Klesmit, John Blackwell, Nolan Winter, Steven Crowl, Carter Gilmore, Markus Ilver

Players departing due to exhausted eligibility: Tyler Wahl

Players who departed via the transfer portal: Chucky Hepburn (to Louisville), Isaac Lindsey (to South Dakota State), AJ Storr (to Kansas), Connor Essegian (to Nebraska), Gus Yalden (to Seton Hall)

Players arriving via the transfer portal: Camren Hunter (from Central Arkansas), Xavier Amos (from Northern Illinois), John Tonje (from Missouri)

Players arriving via high school: Daniel Freitag, Jack Robison

The Badgers were decimated by the transfer portal as Hepburn and Storr took major deals to go to Louisville and Kansas, respectively. Wisconsin added three players from the portal, two high school recruits and has one scholarship that is currently open for next season.

What to like about Wisconsin

Wisconsin returns Klesmit and Crowl, two starters, and Blackwell, a super sub. Blackwell was one of the top freshmen in the conference last season. Storr’s departure should move Blackwell into the starting lineup.

That still leaves holes to fill at point, Hepburn’s former position and the four, Wahl’s old spot. Gard appears to have found a capable replacement at point guard in Hunter, who averaged 16.9 points, five rebounds and 3.9 assists two seasons ago at Central Arkansas and sat out last season due to injury. Freitag, a freshman, should also earn plenty of opportunities in the backcourt.

Up front, look for Armos, a Northern Illinois transfer, to start at the four alongside Crowl. Amos certainly looks the part of an impact player after averaging 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and shooting 38.5 percent on 3s last season for the Huskies. And Tonje arrives at Wisconsin after struggling at Missouri last season after a successful run at Colorado State. During the 2022-23 season, he averaged 14.6 points for the Rams.

What to question with Wisconsin

No team was hurt more by the portal than Wisconsin with Storr and Hepburn leaving Madison. Storr is a fringe NBA player but was easily the most talented offensive player on Wisconsin’s roster now. He’ll now suit up for Bill Self in Lawrence.

The loss of Hepburn was more surprising, given that he was a three-year starter with the Badgers and would have been the leader as a senior. But the allure of a major NIL package lured him away, leaving Wisconsin without a proven point guard at the Big Ten level.

There’s talent on this roster, but the margin for error is slim. The Badgers need Hunter to make a huge impact in the backcourt and for Blackwell to take a major leap forward on the wing.

Nebraska’s outlook for the 2024-25 season

Here’s Wisconsin’s Big Ten schedule for next season:

Home: Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Washington
Away: Maryland, Michigan State, Northwestern, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, USC
Home/Away: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota

Wisconsin is ranked No. 37 in the latest Bart Torvik projections for next season and the first team out in Joe Lunardi’s early bracketology projections for the 2024 NCAA tournament.

If things go well with newcomers like Hunter, Tonje, Freitag and Amos, the Badgers should be in the mix to finish in the top half of the expanded Big Ten. If not, the questions about Gard’s job security may intensify.

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