Wisconsin reloads after offseason portal losses follow 1st-round defeat in NCAA Tournament

Wisconsin (22-14, 11-9 Big Ten)

Wisconsin has some major holes to fill after getting upset by James Madison in the first round of last season’s NCAA Tournament. The Badgers return only two of their top five scorers from a year ago, as they lost A.J. Storr and Chucky Hepburn to the transfer portal.

Players to watch

Steven Crowl (fifth-year senior C, 7 feet). Crowl is Wisconsin’s top returning scorer after collecting 11.2 points per game last season. He also averaged 12.1 points in 2022-23 and 8.8 in 2021-22. He has made 104 career starts and shot 52.1% from the floor.

John Blackwell (sophomore, G, 6-4). Blackwell seems poised to improve this season after scoring 8 points per game and making the Big Ten’s all-freshman team. Wisconsin coach Greg Gard has raved about the progress Blackwell made in the offseason.

Max Klesmit (fifth-year senior, G, 6-4). Klesmit, who began his career at Wofford, is in his third year at Wisconsin after averaging 9.9 points last season and 8.4 in 2022-23. He scored 26 points in a victory over Marquette last season, made the winning basket in a Big Ten Tournament upset of Purdue and had 18 points in the NCAA Tournament loss.

Departures and arrivals

Wisconsin must replace Tyler Wahl, who played in a school-record 162 games for Wisconsin and made 120 starts. Storr left for Kansas after scoring a team-high 16.8 points per game his lone season at Wisconsin. Hepburn, a three-year starter at point guard, transferred to Louisville. Connor Essegian headed to Nebraska.

The Badgers were active in the portal by adding Xavier Amos (Northern Illinois), Camren Hunter (Central Arkansas) and John Tonje (Missouri).

Amos had 13.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last season. Hunter didn’t play last season due to a foot injury. Tonje had 14.7 points per game for Colorado State two years ago but was hampered by a foot injury at Missouri.

Hepburn’s exit means freshman point guard Daniel Freitag could play quite a bit right away.

Top games

Wisconsin opens Nov. 4 by hosting Holy Cross. The Badgers have a big nonconference home game with No. 10 Arizona on Nov. 15. Wisconsin’s Big Ten opener is a Dec. 3 home game with Michigan. The Badgers will attempt to beat Marquette a fourth straight time Dec. 7 when they face the 18th-ranked Golden Eagles at Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum.

Facts and figures

Wisconsin has played in 23 of the last 25 NCAA Tournaments, though the Badgers haven’t advanced as far as the Sweet 16 since 2017. … Gard, who took over Wisconsin’s program after Bo Ryan retired in December 2015, owns a 186-107 record.