BASKETBALL

Scouting Notes: Wisconsin

Published

8 months ago

February 27, 2024

A deep dive into Wisconsin and some of the challenges it could give the Indiana basketball program in Tuesday's matchup. (Kayla Wolf-USA TODAY Sports)

Indiana basketball looks to avoid a five-game losing streak as it welcomes in the Wisconsin Badgers to Assembly Hall on Tuesday night.

Wisconsin enters Tuesday at 18-9 overall and 10-6 in Big Ten play — losing five of the last seven games. The Badgers are one of the most efficient teams both on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. Offensively, they rank 17th overall in efficiency with a 119.2 rating. Defensively, they rank 47th overall in the country with a rating of 99.3. Overall, Wisconsin is rated 22nd in KenPom’s ratings.

Here is a deep dive into some of the challenges Wisconsin could give the Indiana basketball program.

Key Players

Wisconsin is led by AJ Storr and is one of the rare athletic guards that the Badgers have had in the last few years. He’s a 6-foot-6 versatile and extremely athletic wing who can do a lot with the ball in his hands. Storr is best when he’s attacking the rim. He’s not super quick, but with his strong frame and length he can score over and through most defenders at or around the rim. Storr has the ball in his hands very often and with his ability to create his own space a large majority of Wisconsin’s offense relies on him. Right now, 33.8 percent of Wisconsin’s shots come from Storr when he’s on the floor, ranked 35th nationally, while his usage rate (31.9) is the highest in the Big Ten. While he can hit 3s, he’s only shooting 30.2 percent from three and is extremely streaky. He has just eight games with more than one three while he has 11 games without making one. He is also just 3-of-19 on 3s in his last six games. It’s another dangerous matchup for the Indiana basketball backcourt and one that the IU guards need to control. Indiana needs to force him to be a jump shooter and limit his drives to a minimum. If he does get into the middle of the defense, IU needs to force the ball out of his hands — with twice as many turnovers as he does assists on the season.

In the front court is veteran forward Steven Crowl. Crowl is a versatile forward who can play inside or out, as well as make plays for his teammates. He has great size at 7-feet but isn’t a banger who will play a lot in the post. Most of his possessions are used at the top of the key as a screener and passer. Because of his frame, he is a great roller and does a tremendous job using his hands and frame to make his body even bigger on the roll. Most of Crowl’s scoring will come at the rim. He is a tremendous offensive rebounder — second in the Big Ten in offensive rebound rate. Crowl has the ability to hit from the perimeter, albeit not a high-volume guy. He is shooting 44.7 percent on 3s this year on just 1.4 attempts per game. Indiana needs to be aware of Crowl’s passing ability, however. He ranks second on Wisconsin in assist rate and assists and has 11 games with at least three assists. Last time out against Indiana he had eight assists.

Alongside Crowl is Tyler Wahl. Wahl is a versatile forward who can play out on the perimeter and make plays off of the dribble. At 6-foot-9, he plays more like a big wing and has the athleticism to take opponents off of the dribble. Despite hanging on the wing at times, he’s not a threat from three. Wahl, however, loves to draw contact and play through defenders bodies when attacking the basket, getting to the line nearly five times per game. He’s a 68 percent free throw shooter. He has good length and size and that translates to being a strong offensive rebounder, averaging over two offensive rebounds a game. This will be a difficult matchup, likely for Malik Reneau. Because of Wahl’s ability to score off of the dribble, Reneau must be able to keep his arms up and limit any excess contact on drives.

In the backcourt, Max Klemsit has emerged as a real perimeter threat this season. 60.6 percent of his shot attempts are from three, with 54.8 percent of his made field goals from three. Klemsit is an extremely effective spot up shooter and that’s when he’s most dangerous on the floor. He’s not going to do a lot off of the dribble, but he has the ability to score as a slasher. He can also come off of a screen and reset his feet and body with one or two dribbles. After 26 points against Indiana in the first matchup, he has scored in double-figures in just five of the last nine games. The Indiana basketball backcourt absolutely needs to make him a driver and limit every opportunity as a spot up shooter. There should be no instance when his defender helps off.

Chucky Hepburn is another veteran starter but has really struggled with his shot this season. He’s shooting a career-low 30.3 percent on 3.3 attempted 3s per game but is shooting 37.5 percent in the last seven games. After scoring in double-figures just six of the first 20 games, he’s eclipsed 10 points in four of the last seven. Hepburn is best leading the team on both ends of the floor as a leader. He ranks second in assist-to-turnover ratio in the Big Ten at 3.12. Hepburn isn’t going to make a lot of flashy passes, but because Wisconsin does a great job moving without the ball, he has ample opportunities to find cutters. When Hepburn is attacking the basket, he’s at his best but he has struggled creating contact and finishing through contact at the rim. Defensively, Hepburn has taken another step forward. Already a good defender, he’s turned into a very impactful on-ball player. He is second in the league in steals and steal percentage and third in defensive +/-.

Off of the bench is freshman guard John Blackwell. Blackwell is an athletic, 6-foot-4 wing who can create off of the dribble, finish at the rim or be an effective spot up shooter. He’s not a high-volume perimeter shooter, just 1.6 3s per game, but is shooting 46.3 percent on the season. Blackwell has great strength for a freshman and tremendous body control when attacking the basket, typically able to finish through contact very effectively. He attempts three free throws per game in just 17.2 minutes — showing his desire to attack contact.

Key Tendencies

This is not your typical Wisconsin team that struggles offensively. It’s the most efficient Badgers offense since the National Championship runner up team in 2015. Wisconsin still plays slow, ranking 320th in tempo, but have been able to convert at will in a half court setting. How? By attacking the basket. Wisconsin is averaging 20.4 free throws per game and shooting 77.3 percent from the foul line in Big Ten play. A lot of Wisconsin’s action will be three-guard lineups with numerous ball screens and weaving at the top of the key. Because of the passing ability of Crowl and Wahl, they’ll utilize either at the top of the key or high post and play off their teammates tremendous off-ball movement to create easy scoring opportunities at the rim. Wisconsin only shoots 34 percent from three and makes 6.7 3s per game — ranking 274th in total percent of points from three. Since hitting 10 3s against Indiana last time out, the Badgers are shooting just 30.6 percent and making 6.3 3s per game in the last nine games. Indiana basketball needs to be extremely prepared when off of the ball as most of the scoring comes from cutters. And, the Badgers aren’t going to beat themselves, with just a 7.2 opponent steal percentage — the 15th best mark in the country.

Defensively, Wisconsin is tough because it limits offensive rebounds, defends without fouling and has versatility on the perimeter to switch on any ball screen or weave action. The Badgers rank 11th in the country in offensive rebound rate from a defensive perspective, giving up offensive rebounds just 23 percent of the time. It allows just 7.4 offensive rebounds per game — third best in the country. In addition, Wisconsin is allowing opponents to get to the foul line just 17.1 times per game and allow a free throw rate that is nearly 10 percent less than Indiana’s rate. One area that Wisconsin struggles at is rim protection, ranking 354th nationally in block percentage and averaging just 1.7 blocks per game as a team. Despite the lack of rim protection, it’s not because of size or length, so the Indiana basketball bigs will still need to be able to use their versatility to score around Wisconsin at the rim. Wisconsin is also not a team to consistently turn teams over in a live ball setting, ranking 243rd in steal percentage.

Overall, Indiana needs to be ready for a fight and a physical contest. Indiana basketball must be prepared for the dribble-drive and weave offense that Wisconsin will bring. It must be aware on the weakside of the floor as well as any potential backdoor opportunities. Wisconsin won’t take contested 3s and because of the majority of the team limited in that category, IU needs to be aware of who it’s guarding. Indiana must limit live ball turnovers or else an already efficient Wisconsin offense will be even harder to slow down. Teams are showing nearly 37 percent from 3 against the Badgers this year. Five of the last nine games have yielded at least seven 3s from opponents.

Game Preview: Indiana Basketball vs Wisconsin – key storylines, injury report, how to watch

Projected Starters

G – Chucky Hepburn (Junior; 6-2, 211)

Stats: 8.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.7 apg

G – Max Klesmit (Senior; 6-3, 180)

Stats: 9.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 38.5% 3pt

G – AJ Storr (Sophomore; 6-6, 200)

Stats: 16.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg

F – Tyler Wahl (Senior; 6-9, 220)

Stats: 11.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.7 apg

F – Steven Crowl (Junior; 7-0, 218)

Stats: 11.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.2 apg, 44.7% 3pt

Key Notes

Wisconsin ranks third in the Big Ten this season in free throw percentage, shooting 76.4% from the line
The Badgers have gone 44-40 on the road in Big Ten play during the Greg Gard era, trailing only Purdue over that span
Wisconsin is 14-0 when holding teams to 70 or less points