Wisconsin men’s basketball headed into the 2020 season carrying lofty expectations thanks to a preseason No. 7 national rank, a strong finish to 2019-20, and a veteran group of seniors that had the team in Big Ten Title discussions.
It certainly didn’t go as planned. The team struggled in Big Ten play (10-10), and were ultimately bounced in the second round to eventual-champion No. 1 Baylor.
Twelve months and five player departures later, and the vibe around the program has completely changed. Now a younger and more inexperienced group, the Badgers (1-0) had their first chance to shake the rust off in a 81-58 win over St. Francis Brooklyn (0-1) at the Kohl Center Tuesday night.
The Wisconsin defense was the story of the first half, holding St. Francis to just 9-31 (29.0%) from the field. The Terriers didn’t get to the free throw line a single time in the opening frame, and never got the deficit back within 15 points of the Badgers during the second half.
“I thought specifically in the first half, defensively we were very good and connected,” UW head coach Greg Gard said postgame. “Everyone talks about the synergy and cohesion that has to happen offensively, it obviously has to happen defensively, too.”
That synergy might take a little longer to build this season thanks to the massive roster turnover. Four new faces hit the court as starters for UW Tuesday night: junior Tyler Wahl, sophomores Johnny Davis and Steven Crowl, and freshman Chucky Hepburn.
Gard emphasized that the best way for the team to mesh together is to get them into game action. “We’ll just continue to put different combinations out there at the same time,” Gard said. “I need to get a lot of guys' experience. Other than Brad [Davison] and maybe [Wahl] … there’s a lot of guys we have to help grow, and that’s the best way to develop depth. Guys have to play.”
Lowest on the experience totem pole is Hepburn, who became the first true freshman to start in a UW season opener since Devin Harris did it back in 2001. Gard said he knew early in summer camp that Hepburn was good enough to contribute immediately, and made sure he was ready for the challenge. He was impressed with the youngster’s poise from the jump, and touted Hepburn’s lengthy basketball resume.
“He didn’t seem that nervous in the starting lineup,” Gard said of Hepburn. “It’s so different from 20 years ago –– this guy has been in so many different games. He’s been in two state championship games, he’s played in AAU tournaments around the country. The experiences that these guys have at a much younger age … is totally different. In a good way.”
Hepburn finished with 13 points on 4-7 shooting (2-3 from three-point range), to go along with one rebound and an assist. While it wasn’t a stat-stuffing performance, Hepburn seemed to keep St. Francis on its toes with good ball movement and positioning.
“[Hepburn] got a little tired at the end,” Gard said. “He plays hard, so he should get tired with the effort he puts in.”
While Hepburn might be the budding star, the program is hoping Johnny Davis takes a bigger step into a leadership role with the team this fall. Fresh off an invite to play for Team USA at the U19 World Cup this summer, Davis is now arguably the go-to scorer for this Badgers team. He got off to a good start in the opener Tuesday, knocking down six shots to go with three rebounds and five assists.
“I thought [Davis] did a good job, specifically when they were very extended, that he was able to get in the paint and make some plays,” Gard said of Davis’ opening night. “For him, that’s something we’ve tried to continue to develop: to make those plays and make them under control. Maximizing your dribble. I thought he did some really good things tonight in that sense.”
Overall, nine different Badgers logged more than 15 minutes on the floor, including 17 for grad transfer Chris Vogt. The seven-footer from the University of Cincinnati grabbed nine rebounds in the game, an area of weakness for UW a year ago.
“He gave us a good boost defensively and on the glass,” Gard said of Vogt. “I’ve said from the beginning, [Vogt] understands what he’s good at, and what he’s not good at … the experience factor comes into play too as he’s had four years of college basketball under his belt.”
St. Francis Brooklyn certainly wasn’t expected to be a tough task for the Badgers, and early-december matchups against Marquette, Indiana and No. 17 Ohio State might dampen the outlook significantly.
For now, though, Gard emphasized in his postgame press conference to not worry about what’s down the road. “We’ll take it one game at a time, and try to get better each day,” Gard said.
