# 2023–24 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Badgers, led by ninth-year head coach Greg Gard, played their home games at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin as members of the Big Ten Conference. They qualified for the March Madness tournament after a one-year absence, but lost to James Madison University in the first round. They finished the season 22–14, 11–9 in Big Ten play to finish in fifth place. They defeated Maryland, Northwestern, and Purdue to advance to the championship of the Big Ten tournament. There they lost to Illinois. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 5 seed in the South region. They were upset in the first round by James Madison.
The Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team drew an average home attendance of 15,560 in 17 games in 2023-24.

## Previous season

The Badgers finished the 2022–23 season 20–15, 9–11 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for 11th place. As the No. 12 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, they lost to Ohio State in the first round. They received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament, their fifth trip to the NIT and first since 1996, as the No. 2 seed in Oregon's bracket. The Badgers defeated Bradley, Liberty, and Oregon to advance to the tournament semifinals. There they lost to eventual champion North Texas.

## Offseason
### Departures

All players listed as "graduated" are tentative departures unless otherwise noted.
Wisconsin departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Jordan Davis | 2 | G | 6'4" | 200 | Junior | La Crosse, WI | Transferred to Illinois State |
| Jahcobi Neath | 0 | G | 6'4" | 190 | Junior | Toronto, ON | Transferred to Toronto Metropolitan University |
| Justin Taphorn | 13 | G | 6'5" | 215 | Senior | Pekin, IL | Joined staff as a Undergraduate Assistant |

### Incoming transfers

Wisconsin incoming transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| AJ Storr | 2 | G | 6'6" | 200 | Freshman | Rockford, IL | St. John's |

### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Gus Yalden C | Appleton, WI | La Lumiere School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | May 17, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Nolan Winter PF | Lakeville, MN | Lakeville North High School | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Sep 23, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| John Blackwell G | Bloomfield Hills, MI | Brother Rice High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Apr 15, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 77 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2023 Wisconsin Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023. "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023. "ESPN- Wisconsin Badgers Men's Basketball Recruiting". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 1, 2023* 7:00 p.m., BTN Plus | | UW–Stevens Point | W 87–44 | – | 14 – Storr | 9 – Winter | 6 – Hepburn | Kohl Center (14,095) Madison, WI |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., BTN Plus | | Arkansas State | W 105–76 | 1–0 | 20 – Hepburn | 7 – Winter | 6 – Hepburn | Kohl Center (14,033) Madison, WI |
| November 10, 2023* 8:00 p.m., Peacock | | No. 9 Tennessee | L 70–80 | 1–1 | 17 – Storr | 9 – Crowl | 3 – Klesmit | Kohl Center (17,287) Madison, WI |
| November 14, 2023* 5:00 p.m., FS1 | | at Providence Gavitt Tipoff Games | L 59–72 | 1–2 | 22 – Storr | 6 – Crowl | 2 – Crowl | Amica Mutual Pavilion (12,069) Providence, RI |
| November 17, 2023* 6:00 p.m., BTN Plus | | Robert Morris | W 78–68 | 2–2 | 18 – Tied | 8 – Crowl | 5 – Hepburn | Kohl Center (14,189) Madison, WI |
| November 20, 2023* 5:00 p.m., FS1 | | vs. No. 24 Virginia Fort Myers Tip-Off Semifinal | W 65–41 | 3–2 | 15 – Crowl | 10 – Tied | 6 – Hepburn | Suncoast Credit Union Arena (3,500) Fort Myers, FL |
| November 22, 2023* 7:30 p.m., FS1 | | vs. SMU Fort Myers Tip-Off Championship | W 69–61 | 4–2 | 14 – Wahl | 9 – Blackwell | 2 – Tied | Suncoast Credit Union Arena (3,500) Fort Myers, FL |
| November 27, 2023* 6:00 p.m., BTN | | Western Illinois | W 71–49 | 5–2 | 13 – Tied | 11 – Crowl | 3 – Crowl | Kohl Center (14,092) Madison, WI |
| December 2, 2023* 11:30 a.m., FOX | | No. 3 Marquette Rivalry/White Out Game | W 75–64 | 6–2 | 21 – Klesmit | 8 – Crowl | 4 – Hepburn | Kohl Center (17,071) Madison, WI |
| December 5, 2023 6:00 p.m., Peacock | No. 23 | at Michigan State | W 70–57 | 7–2 (1–0) | 22 – Storr | 8 – Wahl | 8 – Hepburn | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI |
| December 9, 2023* 2:15 p.m., ESPN | No. 23 | at No. 1 Arizona | L 73–98 | 7–3 | 17 – Blackwell | 7 – Blackwell | 6 – Hepburn | McKale Center (14,688) Tucson, AZ |
| December 14, 2023* 6:00 p.m., BTN | No. 23 | Jacksonville State | W 75–60 | 8–3 | 19 – Crowl | 9 – Crowl | 4 – Hepburn | Kohl Center (12,816) Madison, WI |
| December 22, 2023* 7:00 p.m., BTN | No. 24 | Chicago State | W 80–53 | 9–3 | 29 – Storr | 9 – Blackwell | 4 – Hepburn | Kohl Center (14,104) Madison, WI |
| January 2, 2024 6:00 p.m., BTN | No. 21 | Iowa | W 83–72 | 10–3 (2–0) | 19 – Wahl | 13 – Crowl | 4 – Klesmit | Kohl Center (15,725) Madison, WI |
| January 6, 2024 1:15 p.m., BTN | No. 21 | Nebraska | W 88–72 | 11–3 (3–0) | 17 – Wahl | 8 – Wahl | 6 – Hepburn | Kohl Center (15,055) Madison, WI |
| January 10, 2024 7:30 p.m., BTN | No. 15 | at Ohio State | W 71–60 | 12–3 (4–0) | 18 – Klesmit | 6 – Crowl | 4 – Hepburn | Value City Arena (11,276) Columbus, OH |
| January 13, 2024 11:00 a.m., BTN | No. 15 | Northwestern | W 71–63 | 13–3 (5–0) | 24 – Klesmit | 8 – Crowl | 3 – Tied | Kohl Center (17,071) Madison, WI |
| January 16, 2024 8:00 p.m., BTN | No. 11 | at Penn State | L 83–87 | 13–4 (5–1) | 23 – Storr | 11 – Crowl | 5 – Hepburn | Bryce Jordan Center (8,462) University Park, PA |
| January 19, 2024 7:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 11 | Indiana | W 91–79 | 14–4 (6–1) | 26 – Klesmit | 8 – Crowl | 8 – Crowl | Kohl Center (15,271) Madison, WI |
| January 23, 2024 6:00 p.m., BTN | No. 13 | at Minnesota | W 61–59 | 15–4 (7–1) | 16 – Wahl | 12 – Storr | 4 – Tied | Williams Arena (10,013) Minneaplois, MN |
| January 26, 2024 7:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 13 | Michigan State | W 81–66 | 16–4 (8–1) | 28 – Storr | 7 – Crowl | 3 – Crowl | Kohl Center (17,071) Madison, WI |
| February 1, 2024 7:30 p.m., BTN | No. 6 | at Nebraska | L 72–80 $^{OT}$ | 16–5 (8–2) | 28 – Storr | 13 – Crowl | 3 – Tied | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,318) Lincoln, NE |
| February 4, 2024 12:00 p.m., CBS | No. 6 | No. 2 Purdue | L 69–75 | 16–6 (8–3) | 20 – Wahl | 7 – Wahl | 5 – Tied | Kohl Center (17,071) Madison, WI |
| February 7, 2024 6:00 p.m., BTN | No. 11 | at Michigan | L 68–72 | 16–7 (8–4) | 20 – Storr | 4 – Tied | 2 – Wahl | Crisler Center (10,698) Ann Arbor, MI |
| February 10, 2024 11:00 a.m., BTN | No. 11 | at Rutgers | L 56–78 | 16–8 (8–5) | 15 – Essegian | 13 – Crowl | 3 – Hepburn | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| February 13, 2024 8:00 p.m., Peacock | No. 20 | Ohio State | W 62–54 | 17–8 (9–5) | 16 – Crowl | 12 – Storr | 7 – Hepburn | Kohl Center (14,931) Madison, WI |
| February 17, 2024 1:15 p.m., BTN | No. 20 | at Iowa | L 86–88 $^{OT}$ | 17–9 (9–6) | 22 – Crowl | 9 – Hepburn | 8 – Klesmit | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (14,998) Iowa City, IA |
| February 20, 2024 8:00 p.m., Peacock | | Maryland | W 74–70 | 18–9 (10–6) | 18 – Wahl | 8 – Tied | 3 – Crowl | Kohl Center (15,147) Madison, WI |
| February 27, 2024 6:00 p.m., Peacock | | at Indiana | L 70–74 | 18–10 (10–7) | 15 – Hepburn | 7 – Hepburn | 6 – Hepburn | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) Bloomington, IN |
| March 2, 2024 12:00 p.m., BTN | | No. 13 Illinois | L 83–91 | 18–11 (10–8) | 20 – Wahl | 7 – Wahl | 3 – Tied | Kohl Center (17,071) Madison, WI |
| March 7, 2024 6:00 p.m., FS1 | | Rutgers | W 77–66 | 19–11 (11–8) | 19 – Storr | 11 – Crowl | 6 – Hepburn | Kohl Center (15,431) Madison, WI |
| March 10, 2024 11:30 a.m., FOX | | at No. 3 Purdue | L 70–78 | 19–12 (11–9) | 18 – Blackwell | 10 – Wahl | 5 – Wahl | Mackey Arena (14,876) West Lafayette, IN |
| Big Ten tournament |||||||||
| March 14, 2024 1:30 p.m., BTN | (5) | vs. (12) Maryland Second Round | W 87–56 | 20–12 | 18 – Blackwell | 5 – Tied | 8 – Hepburn | Target Center (−) Minneapolis, MN |
| March 15, 2024 1:30 p.m., BTN | (5) | vs. (4) Northwestern Quarterfinals | W 70–61 | 21–12 | 30 – Storr | 7 – Crowl | 7 – Klesmit | Target Center (12,609) Minneapolis, MN |
| March 16, 2024 12:00 p.m., CBS | (5) | vs. (1) No. 3 Purdue Semifinals | W 76–75 $^{OT}$ | 22–12 | 22 – Hepburn | 6 – Storr | 5 – Klesmit | Target Center (14,138) Minneapolis, MN |
| March 17, 2024 2:30 p.m., CBS | (5) | vs. (2) No. 13 Illinois Championship | L 87–93 | 22–13 | 24 – Storr | 5 – Tied | 5 – Tied | Target Center (13,991) Minneapolis, MN |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 22, 2024 8:40 p.m., CBS | (5 S) No. 23 | vs. (12 S) James Madison First Round | L 61–72 | 22–14 | 18 – Klesmit | 11 – Crowl | 4 – Hepburn | Barclays Center (17,487) Brooklyn, NY |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | — | — | 23 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 15 | 11 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 20 | RV | RV | — | — | 23 | RV |
| Coaches | RV | RV | — | — | RV | 23 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 15 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 21т | RV | RV | — | — | 24 | RV |

## Player statistics

Individual player statistics (Through 2024 season) :
| | | | Minutes | Minutes | Scoring | Scoring | Total FGs | Total FGs | Total FGs | 3-point FGs | 3-point FGs | 3-point FGs | Free Throws | Free Throws | Free Throws | Rebounds | Rebounds | Rebounds | Rebounds | | | | | |
| Player | GP | GS | Tot | Avg | Pts | Avg | FG | FGA | Pct | 3FG | 3FA | Pct | FT | FTA | Pct | Off | Def | Tot | Avg | A | TO | Blk | Stl | PF |
| Storr, AJ | 36 | 36 | 1037 | 28.8 | 605 | 16.8 | 216 | 498 | .434 | 48 | 150 | .320 | 125 | 154 | .812 | 40 | 102 | 142 | 3.9 | 32 | 57 | 5 | 22 | 41 |
| Crowl, Steven | 36 | 36 | 1043 | 29.0 | 402 | 11.2 | 155 | 279 | .556 | 26 | 58 | .448 | 66 | 89 | .742 | 85 | 176 | 261 | 7.3 | 76 | 60 | 17 | 11 | 92 |
| Wahl, Tyler | 36 | 36 | 1022 | 28.4 | 382 | 10.6 | 146 | 273 | .535 | 3 | 16 | .188 | 87 | 132 | .659 | 70 | 125 | 195 | 5.4 | 67 | 60 | 20 | 39 | 95 |
| Klesmit, Max | 36 | 36 | 1032 | 28.7 | 358 | 9.9 | 118 | 270 | .437 | 66 | 166 | .398 | 56 | 68 | .824 | 9 | 68 | 77 | 2.1 | 67 | 39 | 3 | 30 | 76 |
| Hepburn, Chucky | 35 | 35 | 1163 | 33.2 | 323 | 9.2 | 115 | 268 | .429 | 37 | 115 | .322 | 56 | 76 | .737 | 22 | 95 | 117 | 3.3 | 137 | 43 | 3 | 74 | 70 |
| Blackwell, John | 34 | 1 | 628 | 18.5 | 272 | 8.0 | 82 | 184 | .446 | 30 | 66 | .455 | 78 | 95 | .821 | 23 | 85 | 108 | 3.2 | 21 | 27 | 2 | 15 | 63 |
| Essegian, Connor | 33 | 0 | 243 | 7.4 | 104 | 3.2 | 37 | 96 | .385 | 20 | 66 | .303 | 10 | 11 | .909 | 2 | 25 | 27 | 0.8 | 8 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 24 |
| Winter, Nolan | 36 | 0 | 338 | 9.4 | 88 | 2.4 | 30 | 71 | .423 | 12 | 39 | .308 | 16 | 23 | .696 | 16 | 48 | 64 | 1.8 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 7 | 33 |
| McGee, Kamari | 25 | 0 | 207 | 8.3 | 52 | 2.1 | 19 | 35 | .543 | 3 | 11 | .273 | 11 | 18 | .611 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 0.8 | 11 | 8 | 1 | 13 | 32 |
| Gilmore, Carter | 33 | 0 | 303 | 9.2 | 60 | 1.8 | 19 | 39 | .487 | 3 | 12 | .250 | 19 | 24 | .792 | 22 | 24 | 46 | 1.4 | 16 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 39 |
| Ilver, Markus | 27 | 0 | 160 | 5.9 | 31 | 1.1 | 11 | 35 | .314 | 7 | 28 | .250 | 2 | 3 | .667 | 12 | 23 | 35 | 1.3 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 19 |
| Lindsey, Isaac | 16 | 0 | 60 | 3.8 | 10 | 0.6 | 4 | 13 | .308 | 1 | 7 | .143 | 1 | 2 | .500 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0.4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| Hodges, Chris | 11 | 0 | 22 | 2.0 | 1 | 0.1 | 0 | 4 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .––– | 1 | 4 | .250 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0.5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Gard, Isaac | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .--- | 0 | 0 | .––– | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Haertle, Luke | 11 | 0 | 11 | 1.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .-–– | 0 | 0 | .––– | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 36 | - | 7275 | - | 2688 | 74.7 | 952 | 2067 | .461 | 256 | 734 | .349 | 528 | 699 | .755 | 362 | 862 | 1224 | 34.0 | 458 | 358 | 59 | 224 | 594 |
| Opponents | 36 | - | 7275 | - | 2520 | 70.0 | 896 | 1961 | .457 | 248 | 672 | .369 | 480 | 663 | .724 | 278 | 835 | 1113 | 30.9 | 424 | 406 | 144 | 181 | 658 |