As Wisconsin guard Chucky Hepburn twirled his way around an Arkansas State defender in transition, Badger faithful could see the play transpire before it even happened.
True freshman John Blackwell, one of five newcomers on head coach Greg Gard’s 2023-24 platoon, darted to the left corner, eagerly awaiting Hepburn’s dish amidst another wave of oohs and aahs from a raucous student section. The Highland Park, Michigan, native drilled the corner 3-pointer and extended UW’s point total to 84 with over 11 minutes to spare before the final buzzer.
The sequence served as a microcosm throughout the offensive onslaught. Hepburn, who shed 15 pounds prior the season’s tipoff, orchestrated the show while first-year Badgers like Blackwell, AJ Storr and Nolan Winter showcased their skill sets early and often en route to a 29-point victory.
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The Badgers’ 105 points set a Kohl Center single-game record and accumulated 56 tallies before halftime. Last season, UW’s highest total at intermission was just 43.
Storr, a 6-foot-7-inch transfer guard from St. Johns, displayed his scoring savvy with a flurry of moves, including a turnaround jumper, jump hook and a baseline look over a blanketed defender. His nine early points set the tone for Wisconsin, while Blackwell, who devastated the Red Wolves’ defense with catch-and-shoot opportunities, finished with 12 points and four boards.
“We thought that depth would help us, and here we are in game one and it already showed,” Gard told reporters after the game.
With freshman big man Gus Yalden taking a leave of absence to attend to personal matters, Wisconsin featured 6-foot-11-inch Nolan Winter, a freshman from Lakeville, Minnesota, as the first man off the bench. While junior Steven Crowl suffered from foul trouble, Winter supplied a much-needed extra layer of interior defense, something UW missed last year.
Wisconsin controlled all 40 minutes of its opening contest, and Gard clearly emphasized the importance of attacking the painted area through methodical post plays and quick dive cuts. Four Badgers, including Hepburn, Storr, Blackwell and Max Klesmit, scored in double figures.
Connor Essegian, UW’s freshman flamethrower a season ago, took a hard spill towards the conclusion of the first half. He played just over four minutes and did not return to the contest. His status for Friday remains unclear.
“I’m sure he is a little sore,” Gard said after the game. “We’ll see how he feels tomorrow and the next day.”
Despite forcing 17 Red Wolves giveaways, shooting 65% from the field and limiting Arkansas State to a 41% clip from the floor, UW’s toughest battles loom on the horizon.
The University of Tennessee, roughly eight months removed from a sweet-16 appearance, will venture to Madison as the ninth-ranked team in the nation. Hepburn, who looked as comfortable as he ever has while donning the cardinal and white, knows all too well.
“We know going in that we were going to be able to score and get what we wanted offensively,” Hepburn said following the contest. “It’s the defensive side we [have to] focus on now. We [have] Tennessee coming on Friday, so we just have to tighten things up.”
