Meet the Opponent: Wisconsin Looking To End Brutal February on High Note at Indiana

Wisconsin has a 2-5 record in February and is unranked, a long slide from when it was No. 6 in the AP top-25 poll at the end of January. The Badgers are still contending for a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament and can sweep the season series against Indiana with a win on Tuesday. Here's a full breakdown of the Badgers.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana hosts Wisconsin at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, looking to avoid the season sweep.

The Badgers defeated Indiana 91-79 on Jan. 19 in Madison, a game that included 26 points from Wisconsin's Max Klesmit and the ejection of Indiana's CJ Gunn. Wisconsin peaked at No. 6 in the AP top-25 poll on Jan. 29, but has lost five of its last seven games and fallen out of the rankings. 

Here's a full breakdown of the Badgers

Key returners

(2023-24 stats)

• C Steven Crowl: 11.2 ppg. 7.7 rpg, 44.7 3-pt FG%
• F Tyler Wahl: 11.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 56.9 FG%
• G Max Klesmit: 9.6 ppg, 38.5 3-pt FG%
• G Chucky Hepburn: 8.3 ppg, 3.7 apg, 30.3 3-pt FG%
• G Connor Essegian: 3.5 ppg, 30.0 3-pt FG%
• F Carter Gilmore: 1.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 50.0 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): 16.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 30.2 3-pt FG%
• G John Blackwell (No. 212 freshman): 7.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 46.3 3-pt FG%
• F Nolan Winter (No. 151 freshman): 2.9 ppg. 1.9 rpg, 31.4 3-pt FG%

Schedule (18-9, 10-6 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
• W, 91-79 vs. Indiana
• W, 61-59 at Minnesota
• W, 81-66 vs. Michigan State
• L, 80-72 (OT) at Nebraska
• L, 75-69 vs. Purdue
• L, 72-68 at Michigan
• L, 78-56 at Rutgers
• W, 62-54 vs. Ohio State
• L, 88-86 (OT) at Iowa
• W, 74-70 vs. Maryland

Mike Woodson's history against Wisconsin

• L, 91-79 at No. 11 Wisconsin on Jan. 19, 2024, in Madison
• 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

Wisconsin Badgers guard Chucky Hepburn (23) reacts during the first half of the game against the Indiana Hoosiers on Friday January 19, 2024 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis :: Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Strengths

Wisconsin has a veteran roster with years of playing experience together. Chucky Hepburn, Max Klesmit, Tyler Wahl and Steven Crowl each have multiple seasons of starting experience. Ninth-year coach Greg Gard made one of the Big Ten's most impactful transfer portal moves, adding AJ Storr from St. John's. At 6-foot-6, Storr leads the team at 16.3 points per game and has improved the Badgers' athleticism on the wing. Though Storr's 3-point shooting is down about 10% to 30.2% this year, opponents still must respect his shot and he's a strong finisher at the rim. 

As a team, Wisconsin ranks 17th in the nation in offensive efficiency. Klesmit leads the team in 3-point shooting at 38.5% on 4.3 attempts per game. They play at a slower pace, 320th nationally, but have the 64th-lowest turnover percentage. The Badgers make opponents pay when they get to the free throw line, ranking second in the Big Ten and 30th nationally at 76.4%. Defensively, Wisconsin has held opponents to just 7.4 offensive rebounds per game, third-best in the nation, and 29.9 total rebounds per game, 10th best.

Weaknesses

Teams shoot 36.3% on 3-point attempts against Wisconsin, the second-highest mark in the Big Ten and 35th nationally. Wisconsin also doesn't have a strong shot blocker, ranking 354th out of 362 college basketball teams in block percentage. Starting bigs Steven Crowl and Tyler Wahl combine to average just 1.1 blocks per game. Wahl's 0.6 blocks per game is 21st in the Big Ten, and the rest of the roster provides even less rim protection. That could be a problem against Indiana's offense, which focuses on getting the ball inside to Kel'el Ware and Malik Reneau.

Season outlook

Wisconsin looked like it might push Purdue for the Big Ten title as the calendar turned to February, but the Badgers have had by far their worst month of the season. They lost four in a row to Nebraska, Purdue, Michigan and Rutgers and have lost five of their last seven games since Feb. 1. Picked to finish fifth in the preseason Big Ten media poll, Wisconsin is now tied for third with Northwestern at 10-6, and Nebraska is close behind at 10-7. A Big Ten title is a pipe dream at this point, but Wisconsin should still safely make the NCAA Tournament, most recently projected as a No. 5 seed by Joe Lunardi.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• XAVIER JOHNSON INJURY UPDATE: Ahead of the Hoosiers' home game against Wisconsin on Tuesday, Indiana coach Mike Woodson said sixth-year senior point guard Xavier Johnson has practiced on the court but has not had full-contact yet. CLICK HERE
• 2023-24 IU SCHEDULE: The 2023-24 Indiana basketball schedule is now finalized, with time and television designations released for all games. CLICK HERE
• WHAT WOODSON SAID: Indiana coach Mike Woodson met with the media after Saturday's loss to Penn State, saying that he's ''upset with the way we've played and the way I've coached this team this whole season.'' Here is the full video and transcript. CLICK HERE
• GAME STORY: Indiana lost its fourth straight game to Penn State in a 13-month window, and it was the same issue with the Nittany Lions making nine threes in an 83-74 win. Indiana made only two — both in the final minute — and also missed 11 free throws to fall to 14-13 on the season and 6-10 in the Big Ten. CLICK HERE