It’s demanding to believe, but Wisconsin basketball is back tonight! The Badgers have an exhibition game tonight against UW-River Falls at the Kohl Center. The regular season begins on Monday with a game against Holy Cross. The last time we saw this team, it lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to 12-seeded James Madison, which was unseeded by a score of 31-3. Wisconsin basketball lost Tyler Wahl to graduation, as well as AJ Storr (Kansas) and Chucky Hepburn (Louisville) to the transfer portal. Seven modern faces appeared in the program. Here’s what you need to know about the Wisconsin basketball season.
The modern faces of Wisconsin basketball
There are four modern faces we should see playing huge minutes for Wisconsin basketball this season. Three of those faces were transfers Wisconsin basketball had to make to replace Wahl, Storr and Hepburn.
Cameron Hunter (Central Arkansas), John Tonje (Missouri) and Xavier Amos (Northern Illinois) are proven veterans. Amos and Hunter have two years of eligibility remaining, while Tonje is in his final year of college. Everyone should have a say in the rotation. I think there’s a good chance Amos and/or Tonje will start right away. Hunter is working through injury and should contribute at some point.
True freshman Daniel Freitag has a lot of hype surrounding him, and rightly so. He is such an athletic defender that he can create his own shot. I don’t think Freitag will start playing this year, but he will be a starter in 2025 and continue with the Wisconsin basketball program.
Who takes leadership?
Senior Max Klesmit seems like the obvious choice here. Klesmit was a vocal leader during the summer and fall practices. According to Greg Gard, senior Steven Crowl is also taking a more serene approach, but is leading by example. These have plenty of college basketball experience under their belts.
I’m not sure how the Wisconsin basketball team is doing this year, but there are a lot of seniors on the team (6) who have been in the program for at least three years in addition to Tonje. These are real Badgers and they know what the Wisconsin basketball coaching staff wants and needs during the season.
Who starts instead of Wahl, Hepburn and Storr?
There are three guaranteed starters this year. These will be Max Klesmit, John Blackwell and Steven Crowl. In fact, Blackwell compares the NBA to Jrue Holiday. Quite a professional to compare him to. This sophomore year looks to be a huge one for Blackwell.
The remaining two places are up for grabs. Hunter and Kamari McGee are the real point guards on this team. According to Gardai, McGee was the leader in this position. There is a real chance McGee starts the season at quarterback.
I think Nolan Winter, Amos and Tonje are also fighting for the next spot. It all depends on how Gard wants to play. If Gard is petite, Amos can play as a four at 6’7. If the squad is larger, you can see Winter playing in a three alongside Crowl and Tonje.
I like the versatility of the Wisconsin basketball team. I think McGee, Hunter, Freitag, Klesmit, Blackwell, Amos, Tonje, Winter and Crowl are the rotation for most of the season. I also saw that Carter Gilmore also got some minutes at backup center to protect Crowl and Winter. Both Klesmit and Blackwell are also capable of leading the case.
Wisconsin basketball season forecast
I think this team is in the middle of the Big Ten. During the non-conference season, they undergo tests against Arizona, Butler and Marquette. Part of me also thinks this team is busted. Most of the attention goes to the Indians, Purdue and Oregon. The last time this group was slept on, they won the Big Ten in 2022. I’m not saying that’s happening, but I think this is potentially a top-five Big Ten team.
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