Wisconsin Basketball Dunk Produces an Early Candidate for Play of the Year

It’s been a tough look for the anti-Greg Gard crowd because this isn’t your traditional ma-and-pop Wisconsin Badgers basketball team.  

The No. 21 ranked Badgers improved to 10-3 on the season and 2-0 in Big Ten conference play with an 83-72 victory over Fran McCaffery and the visiting Iowa Hawkeyes at the Kohl Center on Tuesday night. 

Wisconsin settled in during the second half after an uncharacteristically sloppy start to the game. Then, they went on a run that brought Area Red to its feet when starting point guard Chucky Hepburn poked the ball free, and Max Klesmit sent the outlet pass up the court. 

Hepburn caught the ball, took one look over his shoulder, and you just knew something crazy was about to happen. With sophomore AJ Storr trailing behind him, the Nebraska native left it for the high-flying forward off the glass, and he climbed the ladder to throw it down over an Iowa defender — giving Wisconsin basketball an early play-of-the-year candidate. 

CHUCKY OFF THE GLASS FOR AJ‼️@ChuckyHepburn x @storr_aj pic.twitter.com/zPmSd4NRUc

— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) January 3, 2024

It’s also worth mentioning that this play wound up being No. 2 on the Sportscenter Top 10 plays segment.

Wisconsin Basketball Looks Like a Different Animal This Season 

After missing the NCAA Tournament last season, Greg Gard went out and made arguably the most impactful transfer portal addition of his tenure as the Wisconsin basketball program’s head coach.

AJ Storr has been a revelation offensively and has helped transform the Badgers into one of the most efficient offenses in the country. As it stands, Wisconsin is No. 18 in adjusted offensive efficiency, according to Barttorvik.com, which is a substantial leap from the No. 131 finish a year ago. This is a deeper team than last season by a landslide, and their chemistry has set them apart.

There’s still a long way to go, but it’s hard not to feel optimistic about the direction of the 2023-24 Wisconsin men’s basketball team.

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