Wisconsin basketball looks poised for a 2023-24 campaign that will make fans forget about last year’s disappointment.
The program went 20-15 last year, 9-11 in-conference, and missed the NCAA Tournament for only the second time since 1998. Fans were rightfully frustrated, especially given the lack of roster improvement from that offseason after losing Johnny Davis and several role players.
Disappointment in the team or the program doesn’t always mean change is needed. Thanks to an impressive offseason on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal, Greg Gard is ready for a 2023-24 season to prove that to be the case.
The program was able to retain stars Chucky Hepburn, Tyler Wahl and Steven Crowl, guard Connor Essegian has another year of experience under his belt, the incoming freshman class led by center Gus Yalden should help immediately and Gard was able to land top transfer guard A.J. Storr from St. John’s.
The roster looks impressive. It returns nearly every significant contributor from last year along with some significant additions.
How is that return quantified? CBSSports’ Jon Rothstein put out where every Big Ten basketball team ranks in returning scoring entering this season. Here are the results, with Wisconsin leading the way: