Basketball

Wisconsin Basketball Not Represented on Preseason All-Big Ten Team

Wisconsin Basketball had several snubs on the preseason All-Big Ten list.

Published

7 months ago

October 6, 2023

Feb 18, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard Chucky Hepburn (23) reacts to his fourth foul during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at the Kohl Center. Mandatory Credit: Kayla Wolf-USA TODAY Sports

Maybe a surprise for some, but not so much for others. The Wisconsin basketball team didn’t have a single Badgers player named to the 2023-2024 preseason All-Big Ten Team.

The team was announced today after being voted on by Big Ten media members. It includes 10 players from various schools around the conference, including: Purdue, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwestern, and Rutgers. No cardinal and white in sight.

The team is as listed below:

Terrence Shannon Jr. – Illinois
Julian Reese – Maryland
Jahmir Young – Maryland

Dawson Garcia – Minnesota
A.J. Hoggard – Michigan State
Tyson Walker – Michigan State

Keisei Tominaga – Nebraska
Boo Buie – Northwestern
Zach Edey (Player of The Year) – Purdue

Clifford Omoruyi – Rutgers

The Big Ten looks to be as deep as ever this season, especially with Edey returning for one final season at Purdue and the likes of veterans like Shannon Jr. and Buie leading their respective teams.

This leads on the question, did any Wisconsin basketball players get snubbed from the team?

Wisconsin Basketball Forward, Tyler Wahl

The senior forward is returning for his fifth and final season for Wisconsin this year, and looks to improve upon his 2022-2023 campaign.

After his return from injury he never really looked the same, which likely hurt his chances for any early notoriety for this season. On top of this, the fact that Wahl isn’t a major scoring threat makes this unsurprising.

Wisconsin Basketball Point Guard, Chucky Hepburn

To me, Chucky Hepburn is the definition of a snub from this team. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had a major bounce back season after a rather disappointing sophomore campaign.

Hepburn averaged 12.2 ppg last season and improved his 3-point percentage to over 40 percent. Both statistics are likely to climb this season with additional growth and talent around him. A 15+ ppg season wouldn’t surprise me, and couple that with his clutch shooting — look out.

Many may look back at this list at the end of the season and wonder where Hepburn’s name was.

Badgers Center, Steven Crowl

Big Steve is a bit of an unknown coming into the 2023-2024 season. He took big steps for Wisconsin basketball last year when Wahl went down with his ankle injury. He even scored 36 in an NIT matchup against Bradley.

Steven Crowl has always had unlimited potential with his size and touch both inside and outside, but at times he has lacked confidence. With more front-court depth around him, and a lack of athleticism, Crowl does not stand out as a snub.

The Wisconsin basketball team lacks nationally known star power currently. But don’t be surprised if Hepburn puts himself on the national media map this year.

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