It is officially April and the College Basketball season has ended. In the same vein that The Floor Slap did season previews and in season spotlights for every team in the Big Ten, now it’s time to look back on everyone’s season and reflect. Going from the Bottom to the Top in the standings, we will be releasing Exit Survey’s for all 14 teams in the conference. Today, we have the 12th place Wisconsin Badgers.
Simple concept.
The 2022-23 season is over so let’s look back at it.
We start with preseason expectations, move onto the results of the season, discuss the post season, and end with how the season met expectations and how fans should feel about the year and going forward. Let’s go!
Preseason
Wisconsin had a fantastic season in 2021-22. The Badgers had a wonderful surprise season with Johnny Davis turning into an All-American to power them to be Co-Champions of the Big Ten.
The season quieted rumors about Coach Greg Gard’s job status and erased the offseason assistant coaching scandals as well.
Gard had now won two Big Ten titles in three seasons. Some of the more aggressive Wisconsin fans started comparing him to some of the Conference’s best coaches.
I say all that just to set the expectations heading into this season.
People were feeling good about Greg Gard and Wisconsin Basketball.
My preseason article about the Badgers essentially focused on the idea that it was time for Greg Gard to have fun.
Johnny Davis was gone. Brad Davison finally graduated and took with him the last vestige of the Bo Ryan era of Badger Basketball.
With his job secure, it was time to fully enter the Greg Gard era.
Wisconsin had a senior leader and breakout candidate Tyler Wahl ready at the forward spot. Chucky Hepburn started all 33 games as a freshman and seemed ready to be an All-Big Ten type of guard in year two. Steven Crowl is a guy who exists.
The Badgers grabbed a couple guys in the portal in Kamari McGee and Max Klesmit to restock the roster. An under-recruited freshman in Connor Essegian was getting positive reviews in camp.
Another Big Ten Title was not the expectation, but Badger fans were excited to see how far up the table a competitive team could go.
They were excited to see what Greg Gard had in store.
Reading this now, you know how wrong preseason expectations can be.
The Season
The Wisconsin season actually started really well.
Greg Gard and the Badgers got off to an 11-2 start as they entered 2023 with non-conference wins over USC, Stanford, Dayton, and in state rival Marquette. The Badgers also started 3-0 in conference with wins over Minnesota, a ranked Maryland team, and a thrilling overtime win at Iowa.
The only losses the Badgers had were to Kansas on a last second put-back in overtime and a one possession game to Wake Forest.
For a brief moment it seemed like Wisconsin were contenders in the Big Ten.
Then Tyler Wahl got injured.
Wisconsin lost the next three games without Wahl. The Badgers eeked out a three point win at home against Penn State in Wahl’s return, and then lost another three in a row.
Wahl and the Badgers never quite looked the same after the injury.
Wahl had 6 games with 15 or more points in the first 10 games of the season and looked every bit the focal point for the Badgers. He only had 15 or more points twice the rest of the season.
The Badgers went from 3-0 in conference, to losing 6 of 7, and then went .500 (5-5) in the back half of the conference schedule to finish 9-11.
That record was good enough for 12th place in the Big Ten this year.
Despite being 12th in the Big Ten, Wisconsin still entered the Big Ten tournament as a bubble team capable of making March Madness.
Their loss in the first game of the tournament to Ohio State sealed their NIT invitation.
Post Season
The Badgers did end up making a run in the NIT.
Wisconsin crushed Bradley in the opener, edged out Liberty, and then upset Oregon on the road to make the NIT Final Four.
In classic Big Ten fashion, Wisconsin made the final four and didn’t win the championship.
Wisconsin dominated North Texas in the NIT semifinal, but in painful Wisconsin fashion the Badgers didn’t score in the final 8.5 minutes.
One more time. Wisconsin didn’t score in the final EIGHT AND A HALF MINUTES and lost 54-56 to North Texas.
Nothing ever fully came together for the Badgers this season.
You saw at times what this team could be if all the parts were firing. Yet, for most of the season not all the gears were turning at the same time.
Chucky Hepburn statistically was almost the same player as a sophomore as he was as a freshman. He didn’t make the leap Wisconsin fans were hoping for. Some games he was awesome. Some games he was a no show. His inconsistency hurt the Badgers.
Connor Essegian was one of the bright spots of the season. He stood out as a freshman immediately capable of playing. He already is one of the best shooters in the conference. It is exciting to think about what he can become, but Essegian was also a boom or bust guy.
Steven Crowl was amazing in the Bradley game, but for most of the season was a slightly above average Center for the Big Ten. His little hook and passing ability were good, not great.
Role players like Jordan Davis, Carter Gilmore, Kamari McGee, and Marcus Ilver never popped.
Max Klesmit really came on late in the season, but also disappeared at times.
There wasn’t a stretch where Hepburn, Essegian, Crowl, Klesmit, and Wahl were really all rolling.
That is why Badgers fans can be optimistic heading into next year.
Wisconsin fans should be excited for next season as the Badgers have had a tremendous offseason already.
Tyler Wahl announced he is returning for a super senior season. Thanks COVID-19!
The Badgers lost Jordan Davis to the portal, but also gained two players in Noah Reynolds from Wyoming and AJ Storr from St. John’s.
Both Storr and Reynolds are Northern Illinois locals and were productive players last season. Reynolds scored 14.5 a game for Wyoming, and Storr really came on at the end of his freshman season at St. John’s scoring double figures in 9 of his last 13 games.
A rotation of Hepburn, Essegian, Klesmit, Storr, and Reynolds filling the 1-3 positions all game will be some of the best guard play in the conference next season.
Pair that with Wahl, Crowl, Ilver and top 100 freshman Gus Yalden at the 4&5 spots, and the Badgers figure to be in the top 6 or so of the conference next year.
The pieces never fully aligned this year for the Badgers.
Depending on the numbers and results you look at, you can find reasons to be very positive or very negative about the Badgers’ season.
The Badgers had a predictably disappointing season.
Greg Gard struggled replacing a 5 year starter in Davison and an All-American and top 10 pick in Johnny Davis this season. Gard will enter next season returning most of his team and beefing up his bench.
With most of the roster returning, Wisconsin will be more experienced, more prepared to play Wisconsin Basketball, and ready to make a run.
I think Wisconsin fans can understand this year’s results and should feel excited about potentially stealing another Big Ten Championship next year.
Fans turned on Greg Gard this year at times. It will be Greg Gard’s job to gain consistency out of this boom or bust squad.
If Wisconsin booms, the Badgers can compete at the top of the Big Ten. If Wisconsin busts, Greg Gard’s seat will really start to warm up.