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Wisconsin basketball: Two Badgers named preseason All-Big Ten

Wisconsin Badgers point guard Chucky Hepburn and forward Tyler Wahl each earn first-team All-Big Ten honors for the 2022-2023 season.

Matt Belz

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With college basketball inching closer, the Wisconsin Badgers held their annual basketball media day on Wednesday, with head coach Greg Gard meeting with media members for over 20 minutes. 

After Gard spoke highly about the development of his team, two of his top returning players made the Big Ten's preseason all-conference team on Thursday afternoon.

Sophomore point guard Chucky Hepburn and senior forward Tyler Wahl each made the prestigious first-team All-Big Ten list, representing the Badgers as two of the top 11 players in the league entering the season.

Two of the top defensive players in the Big Ten, Hepburn and Wahl are two of Wisconsin's key pieces coming back this season. The Badgers are the only team within the conference to have two All-Big Ten honorees, and it is the fourth time that Wisconsin has had two or more players on the preseason list since 2014. 

They join the following former Wisconsin greats:

  • Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker (2014-2015)
  • Nigel Hayes and Bronson Koenig (2015-2016)
  • Ethan Happ, Nigel Hayes, and Bronson Koenig (2016-2017)

For Hepburn, his inclusion comes on the heels of a strong freshmen campaign as Wisconsin's lead guard. In addition to playing tremendous defense, Hepburn averaged 7.9 points per game, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. The Nebraska native started all 33 games for UW in 2021 and played the third most minutes on the team while averaging nearly a 2-1 assist-to-turnover ratio at point guard. After shooting 34.8% from three-point range, Hepburn hopes to build on his first year in Madison and make a big impact this season.

Tyler Wahl also made the Big Ten's preseason list, and he is one of the team's few seniors on the roster this season. The Lakeville (Minn.) product set career highs in nearly every statistical area last year, while shooting over 50% from the floor and averaging in double-figures (11.4 points per game) for the first time. A very versatile player for Greg Gard, Wahl was second on the team in rebounding (5.9 per game), fourth in assists, first in defensive steals, and second in blocked shots a year ago. 

A great two-way player, Wahl is expected to take on a greater leadership role this season and he is one of the most experienced players on the roster for Wisconsin. 

The duo of Hepburn and Wahl were joined by nine other individuals across the Big Ten, representing nine different teams in the league. The full list of players is as follows:

  • Trayce Jackson-Davis, a junior forward at Indiana
  • Hunter Dickinson, a junior center at Michigan
  • Zach Edey, a junior center at Purdue
  • Terrance Shannon Jr., a senior guard at Illinois
  • Kris Murray, a junior forward at Iowa
  • Malik Hall, a senior forward at Michigan State
  • Jamison Battle, a junior forward at Minnesota
  • Jalen Pickett, a senior guard at Penn State
  • Clifford Omoruyi, a junior center at Rutgers
  • Chucky Hepburn, a sophomore guard at Wisconsin
  • Tyler Wahl, a senior forward at Wisconsin

Trayce Jackson-Davis enters as the 2022-23 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, while he, Hunter Dickson, and Zach Edey were all unanimous selections by the media voters. Chucky Hepburn is the only sophomore to earn recognition. 

The Wisconsin Badgers will play their annual Red-White Scrimmage inside the Kohl Center this Sunday, admission is free to the public. 

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Matt Belz
MATT BELZ

Title: Publisher, Beat Writer for AllBadgers.com, a Sports Illustrated Channel Hello, my name is Matt Belz, and I am the site manager at All Badgers. I previously wrote for multiple years at Buckeyes 5th Quarter and have been the leading publisher here since March of 2022.  When I am not covering the Wisconsin Badgers football and men's basketball teams, I enjoy being outside and spending time with family and friends.  You can follow everything I write about on several different platforms. First and foremost on our site...AllBadgers.com You can follow me personally on Twitter at @savedbythebelz or check out our Facebook page at Wisconsin FanNation on Sports Illustrated.

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