Wisconsin Basketball ‘Heavily Recruiting’ Strech Forward in Transfer Portal

By all accounts, the loss of Badgers starting point guard Chucky Hepburn has lit a fire under Greg Gard and the Wisconsin basketball program.

Jeff Goodman from the Field of 68 reported that the Wisconsin Badgers are one of four programs heavily recruiting UMass transfer forward Matt Cross, along with Iowa, TCU, and USC.

UMass transfer Matt Cross is being recruited heavily by the following, source told @thefieldof68.

Iowa, Wisconsin, TCU and USC.

Cross averaged 15.3 points and 8.3 rebounds this past season.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 20, 2024

The 6-foot-7, 230-pound forward averaged 15.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.5 steals per game this past season en route to First Team All-Atlantic 10 conference honors. Cross shot 54% from the field and 33% from beyond the arc while playing 30 minutes a contest.

A Massachusetts native and former four-star recruit, Cross played two years at UMass after prior stints at Louisville and Miami. During his career, Cross has appeared in 95 games, starting 68 of them. In 2023-24 Cross led the Minutemen in rebounds, assists, and steals.

Coach Gard and the Wisconsin basketball team have no shortage of roles to fill heading into next season. The Badgers are expected to return just two starters, Max Klesmit and Steven Crowl.

“In today’s college basketball, players are making transactional decisions all over the country at every level,” Gard said. “There’s no time to complain about the system in place. We’re dedicating all of our energy right now into finding the next fits for our program.”

With Tyler Wahl exhausting his eligibility and no in-house options ready to fill a more prominent role at the “four” spot, adding an experienced option from the portal is a no-brainer. Cross’s fit, in particular, makes plenty of sense as a stretch forward who could complement Crowl offensively.

According to Synergy, Cross averages 1.027 points per possession, placing him in the 82nd percentile in college basketball. Additionally, he averages 1.436 points per possession in transition, which puts him in the 94th percentile.

Cross’s inside-out playing style and ability to run in transition could continue opening up the Wisconsin basketball team’s newly constructed offense under Kirk Penney. He’d be a plug-and-play option in the starting lineup for the Badgers, who need players capable of scoring the rock.

The Badgers are also in touch with Stanford graduate transfer Brandon Angel, who visited Wisconsin basketball last weekend and could be nearing a decision. From what I’ve gathered, that recruitment could come down to UW, and everybody’s favorite, Duke. Mick Cronin and the UCLA Bruins are also involved in some capacity.

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