Meet the Opponent: No. 11 Wisconsin Sits Atop Big Ten Standings, Hosts Indiana Friday

Wisconsin returns most of its team from last season that missed the NCAA Tournament, but coach Greg Gard made one of the most impactful transfer portal additions, landing St. John's guard AJ Storr. With a veteran team, plus the addition of Storr, Wisconsin is first in the Big Ten standings. Here's a full breakdown of Indiana's Friday opponent, the Wisconsin Badgers.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana hits the road to face the Big Ten's first-place team, the Wisconsin Badgers, on Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Wisconsin will be eager to bounce back from Tuesday's 87-83 loss at Penn State, its first conference loss of the season. Coach Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers are coming off an 87-66 loss to arch rival No. 2 Purdue on Tuesday, and they will look to win their first game in Madison since 1998.

Here's a full breakdown of Wisconsin. 

Key returners

(2023-24 stats)

• C Steven Crowl: 12.0 ppg. 7.8 rpg, 54.5 3-pt FG%
• F Tyler Wahl: 11.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 54.3 FG%
• G Max Klesmit: 9.0 ppg, 39.1 3-pt FG%
• G Chucky Hepburn: 8.0 ppg, 4.0 apg, 26.4 3-pt FG%
• G Connor Essegian: 3.2 ppg, 32.4 3-pt FG%
• F Carter Gilmore: 1.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 58.8 FG%

Key departures

(2022-23 stats)

• G Jordan Davis: 5.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 30.8 3-pt FG%

Key newcomers

(2023-24 stats)

• G AJ Storr (St. John's transfer): 15.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 32.3 3-pt FG%
• G John Blackwell (No. 212 freshman): 8.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 48.4 3-pt FG%
• F Nolan Winter (No. 151 freshman): 2.9 ppg. 2.0 rpg, 23.8 3-pt FG%

Schedule (13-4, 5-1 in Big Ten)

• W, 105-76 vs. Arkansas State
• L, 80-70 vs. Tennessee
• L, 72-59 at Providence
• W, 78-68 vs. Robert Morris
• W, 65-41 vs. Virginia (neutral site in Florida)
• W, 69-61 vs. SMU (neutral site in Florida)
• W, 71-49 vs. Western Illinois
• W, 75-64 vs. Marquette
• W, 70-57 at Michigan State
• L, 98-73 at Arizona
• W, 75-60 vs. Jacksonville State
• W, 80-53 vs. Chicago State
• W, 83-72 vs. Iowa
• W, 88-72 vs. Nebraska
• W, 71-60 at Ohio State
• W, 71-63 vs. Northwestern
• L, 87-83 at Penn State

Mike Woodson's history against Wisconsin

• W, 63-45 vs. No. 18 Wisconsin on Jan. 14, 2023, in Bloomington
• L, 75-69 vs. No. 15 Wisconsin on Feb. 15, 2022, in Bloomington
• L, 69-64 at No. 22 Wisconsin on Dec. 8, 2021, in Madison

Guards AJ Storr (2) and Connor Essegian (3) look on as the Wisconsin Badgers take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at the Kohl Center / Kayla Wolf-USA TODAY Sports

Strengths

Wisconsin made one of the top transfer portal moves this offseason by adding St. John's guard AJ Storr to its veteran roster. At 6-foot-6, Storr leads the Badgers at 15.3 points per game and can score from all over the court. He's second for Wisconsin in 3-pointers made, though his percentage has dropped about 8% from his freshman year at St. John's, where he shot 40.4%. Indiana will need strong defensive performances from guys like Trey Galloway, Mackenzie Mgbako and CJ Gunn to keep Storr in check after his 23-point night at Penn State on Tuesday. Wisconsin also added John Blackwell, a 6-foot-4 freshman with nine double-digit scoring games.

The bulk of Wisconsin's roster is familiar to Indiana, with returning starters Chucky Hepburn, Max Klesmit, Tyler Wahl and Steven Crowl. A 7-foot center, Crowl is averaging similar numbers to last season, but he's been more efficient, shooting 58.6% from the field and 54.5% from 3-point range on 1.3 attempts per game. Wisconsin missed the NCAA Tournament with a similar roster last year, but it's clear the addition of Storr, plus the combination of team chemistry and experience, make the Badgers a Big Ten title contender. Wisconsin has the second-fewest turnovers in the Big Ten, leads the conference in free throw shooting and ranks sixth in the nation in offensive efficiency.

Weaknesses

Wisconsin's two most recent losses, 87-83 at Penn State on Tuesday and 98-73 at Arizona on Dec. 9, can largely be attributed to defensive struggles. Arizona guards Caleb Love and Pelle Larsson combined for 41 points. The Badgers had a particularly difficult time staying in front of Penn State guards Kanye Clary and Ace Baldwin Jr., who combined for 47 points on 58.1% shooting. Clary scored 27 without making a three, and Trey Galloway's ability to drive to the basket could pose a similar problem after back-to-back double-digit games. Xavier Johnson has done that, too, but he's been in a major rut after returning from injury.

A factor to monitor in this game will be Crowl and Wahl's defense on Indiana's front court duo of Kel'el Ware and Malik Reneau, who average 15.8 and 14.2 points per game, respectively. Crowl and Wahl are talented offensive players, but neither are strong rim protectors. Collectively, they average just 1.2 blocks per game, and Wisconsin ranks 345th in the nation in block percentage. Ware and Reneau had a tough time against Purdue's Zach Edey on Tuesday, but they will feel less defensive resistance from the Badgers.

While various metrics rank Wisconsin as one of the most efficient offensive teams in the nation, that's not because of outstanding 3-point shooting. The Badgers attempt just 18.9 per game, which ranks 299th in the nation, and they shoot 35.1%, ranking 119th. 

Season outlook

Wisconsin was picked to finish fifth in the preseason Big Ten media poll after missing the NCAA Tournament last year. In mid-January, that's looking a bit low, as the Badgers sit atop the conference with a 5-1 record. They still have two games against Purdue, though, which is where we'll really see just how good this team is. Wisconsin slipped up Tuesday at Penn State, showing how difficult it is to win on the road. Otherwise, they've handled the nation's sixth most difficult schedule admirably. 

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• TOM BREW COLUMN: Indiana got blown out at home by No. 2-ranked Purdue on Tuesday night, and a lot of the struggles happened when Mike Woodson kept standout players Mackenzie Mgbako and Kel'el Ware on the bench for too long in the first half. It's a bad trend that has to stop if Indiana wants to hang with the premier teams on their schedule. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA-PURDUE GAME STORY: No. 2 Purdue was able to do as it pleased early against Indiana on Tuesday night, building a big lead and then holding off a few Hoosiers rallies to win 87-66. It was their first win in Bloomington since 2021. CLICK HERE
• EDEY DOMINATES WARE, RENEAU: Indiana has relied on Malik Reneau and Kel'el Ware to carry the load as both scorers and rebounders. But against Purdue center Zach Edey, the reigning National Player of the Year, Indiana's front court duo had two of their least-productive games of the season. CLICK HERE
• PHOTO GALLERY: The No. 2-ranked Purdue Boilermakers proved way too much for the Indiana Hoosiers on Tuesday night, beating them 87-66. Here are the best pictures from the game. CLICK HERE
• WHAT MIKE WOODSON SAID: Indiana dug itself a deep hole trying to defend Purdue center Zach Edey on Tuesday night, and all that foul trouble helped Purdue cruise to an easy 87-66 win. Here's what Indiana coach Mike Woodson said to the media after the game, with complete video and a full transcript. CLICK HERE
• WHAT MATT PAINTER SAID: Here's the full transcript and video of Purdue coach Matt Painter's postgame press conference after the Boilermakers' 87-66 win at Indiana. CLICK HERE