Tag: xavier amos

RECAP: Wisconsin rolls past Chicago State to notch eighth win of 2024-25 season

RECAP: Wisconsin rolls past Chicago State to notch eighth win of 2024-25 season

Wisconsin basketball rolled past Chicago State 74-53 on Saturday to pick up its eighth victory of the 2024-25 season. As many predicted, it was all Badgers from start to finish.

UW wing John Tonje again captained Wisconsin’s offensive attack with 22 points off 5-of-12 from the field, 3-of-6 from deep and 9-of-10 from the free throw line in 29 minutes of action. The North Omaha, Nebraska native also added five rebounds and three assists in the 21-point blowout win.

Veteran center Steven Crowl logged nine points, seven rebounds, five assists and three blocks in 28 minutes, and sophomore center Nolan Winter added 12 points and six rebounds in 21 minutes as well.

Fresh off their Greenbrier Tip-Off win on Nov. 24, the Badgers set the tone early. UW built a 12-2 lead within the first five minutes of action courtesy of eight points from Tonje and a pair of layups from big men Crowl and Winter.

Wisconsin maintained a relatively comfortable lead from that point forward. Fueled by 10 points from Winter, the Badgers piloted a 21-5 scoring spurt to stretch their lead to 53-32 by the 10:14-minute mark of the second half.

Greg Gard’s bench essentially put a bow on the second half scoring, and Wisconsin claimed its eighth straight win of the 2024-25 slate in dominant fashion.

It wasn’t necessarily pretty, but Wisconsin did exactly what it needed to do to snag the victory. As a unit, the Badgers shot an underwhelming 39% from the field and 33.3% from outside. The team shared the wealth with 17 assists, plus scored 19 points off Chicago State turnovers. The Badgers leaned on Winter and Crowl’s size against Cougars — UW out-rebounded Chicago State by eight in the effort.

With the win, Wisconsin starts the season 8-0 for the first time since 2013-14.

The Badgers will now look to keep its undefeated start to the season alive when it hosts the Michigan Wolverines on Dec. 3.

Wisconsin transfer forward reaches double figures in Badgers win vs. Appalachian State

Wisconsin transfer forward reaches double figures in win vs Appalachian State

Wisconsin basketball transfer forward Xavier Amos impressed with 10 points in the Badgers’ 87-56 win over Appalachian State on Sunday.

Head coach Greg Gard elected to substitute Amos into the game with 14:08 remaining and the Badgers up by nearly 20 points.

In 12 minutes of play, Amos nailed a pair of three-point jumpers and four free throw attempts. He also snagged six rebounds and a steal in his abbreviated action off the bench.

Amos had appeared in each of Wisconsin’s previous games this season, but today’s contribution was the most impressive of the 2024-25 slate. The Chicago, Illinois, native scored his first basket as a Badger in the season opener against Holy Cross, but he failed to scratch the score sheet in Wisconsin’s second game of the 2024-25 campaign vs. Montana State.

Before he transferred to Wisconsin this spring, Amos enjoyed a breakout season at Northern Illinois in 2023-24. As a sophomore, he started all 25 games and averaged nearly 14 points and six rebounds per game.

As a forward, Amos also shot 49.6 percent from the floor, including 38.5 percent from 3-point range (40-for-104 3FG) a season ago. It’s safe to say he showcased that type of efficiency on Sunday.

Amos’ minutes will be something to monitor as the season progresses. Given his versatility, he could see extended play when UW faces a smaller team and opts to utilize centers Steven Crowl and Nolan Winter in a more limited capacity.

UW is back in action on Nov. 15 against No. 10 Arizona at the Kohl Center.

How to watch Wisconsin basketball vs UW-River Falls

How to watch Wisconsin basketball vs UW-River Falls

The Wisconsin men’s basketball team will host UW-River Falls for an exhibition matchup at 7:00 p.m. CT at the Kohl Center on Wednesday night. The team is on the cusp of launching their ninth full season with Greg Gard as the head coach.

In the offseason, the Badgers saw the departure of a handful of significant players. Forward Tyler Wahl (graduation) along with guards Chucky Hepburn (transfer portal), AJ Storr (transfer portal) and Connor Essegian (transfer portal) are no longer a part of the team.

They brought in a trio of significant transfer additions in guard Camren Hunter (Central Arkansas) and forwards John Tonje (Missouri) and Xavier Amos (Northern Illinois). Also worth noting, three-star freshman guard Daniel Freitag (Minneapolis, MN) figures to be a major part of the puzzle in 2024-2025.

Here is how to watch Wednesday night’s contest:

  • Date: Wednesday, October 30, 2024
  • Opponent: UW-River Falls
  • Time: 8:00 p.m. ET, 7:00 p.m. CT
  • TV Channel: BTN+ (stream)

Former Wisconsin basketball guard transfers to Winona State

Former Wisconsin basketball guard transfers to Winona State

Former Wisconsin guard Luke Haertle announced his commitment to Winona State on Thursday via social media.

The former walk-on elected to enter the transfer portal in late March after two years with the Badgers. The Hartland, Wisconsin native appeared in 11 contests during his time with the program, all coming during his redshirt freshman season in 2023-24.

His Wisconsin career finishes with those 11 appearances, two rebounds and 11 total minutes.

Before arriving in Madison, Haertle accounted for 2,264 points and over 1,000 rebounds during his prep career at Lake County Lutheran. He helped lead the Lighting to the program’s first WIAA state title; his squad won the 2022 WIAA Division 3 state championship.

He is one of seven former Badgers who entered the portal after the 2023-24 season. His commitment was the last announced among those who entered the portal.

Wisconsin, meanwhile, has added commitments from transfer portal guard John Tonje, point guard Camren Hunter and power forward Xavier Amos this offseason. Greg Gard successfully retooled the roster in advance of a critical 2024-25 season despite losing star point guard Chucky Hepburn and wing A.J. Storr.

Wisconsin basketball appears in Joe Lunardi’s 2025 bracketology

Wisconsin basketball appears in Joe Lunardi’s 2025 Bracketology

Wisconsin men’s basketball program appeared in Joe Lunardi’s latest 2025 March Madness men’s field prediction on Thursday. 

Fresh off their round of 64 loss to No. 5 James Madison, Lunardi projected Wisconsin as one of the last four teams to make the tournament.

Wisconsin, alongside Saint Mary’s, Illinois and NC State, is forecast as an “on the bubble team” in the way-too-early estimates for 2025.

Over the past few weeks, UW’s program has experienced a complete shift in personnel. Thus far, the Badgers have landed Missouri transfer guard John Tonje, Central Arkansas guard Camren Hunter and Northern Illinois power forward Xavier Amos via the transfer portal.

With the departures of former Badgers Chucky Hepburn (portal), AJ Storr (portal) and Tyler Wahl (graduation), Greg Gard’s starting lineup will look much different in the fall. 

Wisconsin boasts four Final Four appearances, six Elite Eight bids and 10 Sweet 16 seasons in its storied history. The crew finished 22-14 a season ago, but will welcome three newcomers and freshman Daniel Freitag into the rotation next season.

WATCH: Wisconsin transfer F Xavier Amos dominated a Big Ten rival in 2023-24

Wisconsin’s newest starting power forward has dominated Big Ten opposition:

Wisconsin Badgers transfer commit Xavier Amos is no stranger to dominating on the Big Ten stage.

The former Northern Illinois forward had a career day in a loss to Wisconsin’s Big Ten rival Northwestern in November 2023. His stat line: 26 points and 7 rebounds on 11/15 shooting and 4/5 from three-point range.

Related: Wisconsin basketball 2024-25 starting lineup and rotation with transfers Camren Hunter and Xavier Amos

The four-star transfer figures to immediately fill the vacant forward spot in Wisconsin’s starting lineup, replacing multi-year starter Tyler Wahl. He joins the Badgers after averaging an impressive 30.9 minutes, 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.3 blocks on 57% shooting and 38% from three in 2023-24.

Amos brings a high offensive ceiling thanks to the ability to shoot from the outside. That ceiling may be even higher than Wahl’s toward the end of his career. But the only real critique of the transfer’s game, and production at Northern Illinois, is that it hasn’t come against the top competition in the nation.

But there is some evidence that the game will translate. It did against a good Northwestern Wildcats team just last season:

It must be noted that Amos and Northern Illinois also played Iowa in 2023-24. It did not go as well, as the newest Badger scored just 6 points on 2/11 shooting. But his play against Northwestern gives a true glimpse into what Badgers fans could see this season and beyond.

Wisconsin’s starting lineup will look a lot different in 2024-25 than it did last season. Head coach Greg Gard’s recent additions of Amos and point guard Camren Hunter have that unit looking promising entering the offseason, especially if a few more transfer commitments can follow.

For more on Wisconsin’s transfer portal activity this offseason, check out the updated list of its commitments, targets and scheduled visits.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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BREAKING: Wisconsin lands commitment from top transfer forward Xavier Amos

Huge news for the Badgers:

Wisconsin basketball landed a commitment from former Northern Illinois forward Xavier Amos on Monday evening.

Amos is the second member of the Badgers’ transfer class and is a critical addition for the program’s chances in 2024-25 and beyond.

Related: An updated list of Wisconsin basketball’s transfer portal targets

The 6’8″ forward entered the transfer portal on March 27 after two years with the Huskies. He excelled in 2023-24, averaging 30.9 minutes, 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.3 blocks on 57% shooting and 38% from three.

The up-and-coming forward is a four-star transfer on 247Sports.com and is the service’s No. 91 overall player in the portal and No. 13 power forward.

The big man does lack power-conference experience and may need to adjust to the Big Ten game. But he is a versatile scorer, shoots well from beyond the arc and should fit well into the Badgers’ versatile offensive attack. He figures to slide into the stretch forward slot in the team’s starting lineup, taking over for graduated senior Tyler Wahl.

Amos joins former Central Arkansas guard Camren Hunter as incoming transfer commits. Each addition is huge for the Badgers as head coach Greg Gard looks to replace the departed production of Wahl, point guard Chucky Hepburn and shooting guard A.J. Storr.

Wisconsin is finally on a recruiting roll. And it may be receiving another transfer commitment in the coming days.

For more on Wisconsin basketball’s ongoing transfer portal activity, check out our ongoing tracker of the Badgers transfer portal visits and targets.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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Wisconsin basketball predicted to land transfer forward Xavier Amos

Wisconsin could be nearing a second transfer commitment:

Wisconsin basketball received an On3 transfer prediction to land former Northern Illinois forward Xavier Amos.

Amos entered the transfer portal after two years with the Huskies. He excelled in 2023-24, averaging 30.9 points, 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.3 blocks on 57% shooting and 38% from three.

Related: An updated list of Wisconsin basketball’s transfer portal targets

The 6’8″ forward would be a fill-in replacement for graduated senior Tyler Wahl in Wisconsin’s starting lineup. Amos lacks proven production at the Big Ten level, but he is a versatile scorer that can shoot well from three.

He is ranked as a four-star transfer by 247Sports.com and is the service’s No. 91 overall player in the portal and No. 13 power forward. A potential commitment would be massive news for a Wisconsin team that needs a boost entering the 2024-25 season.

Greg Gard and his staff recently landed Central Arkansas guard Camren Hunter to begin their transfer portal class. Many of the program’s other top targets have been taken off the board. But the potential portal trio of Camren Hunter, John Tonje and Amos would be a solid reload after losing Chucky Hepburn, A.J. Storr and Tyler Wahl after the 2023-24 season.

For more on Wisconsin basketball’s ongoing transfer portal activity, check out our ongoing tracker of the Badgers transfer portal visits and targets.

UPDATE: Wisconsin landed a commitment from Amos on April 29

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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