Wisconsin basketball fans got their first look at the 2024-25 Badger squad in the Red and White Game on Sunday.
Wisconsin basketball is coming off a 2023-24 campaign that ended with a first-round exit from the NCAA Tournament at the hands of James Madison. However, this 2024-25 Badger roster looks very different. Tyler Wahl graduated, and Chucky Hepburn and A.J. Storr departed via the transfer portal.
Takeaway #1: A lot of new faces
7 out of the 17 players on the Wisconsin roster are either transfers or freshmen, and many of the transfers are expected to play a big role in the upcoming season.
John Tonje dropped 12 points in the Red and White game on Sunday. “It was great to see the fans out there,” said Tonje. “Great to get up and down, and see what we have to improve on over these next couple of weeks.”
Tonje is a seasoned veteran. The graduate student played four seasons at Colorado State, averaging 14.6 points per game in his senior year (2022-23). He then transferred to Missouri, using his extra year of eligibility from COVID. Tonje played in just eight games for the Tigers, before sitting out the rest of the season due to injury, taking a medical redshirt year. Tonje is set to play a large role this season and may start in the Badgers exhibition game against UW-River Falls on October 30th.
Xavier Amos comes to Wisconsin after a breakout sophomore season with Northern Illinois. Amos, who stands at 6 foot 7, averaged 13.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last year. When asked about his role this season, Amos said, “Whatever (Head Coach Greg) Gard wants me to do. I’ll play the 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, whatever he needs me to do.”
Camren Hunter transferred from Central Arkansas after not playing in 2023-24, using the season as a redshirt year. Hunter led his team in points in the 2021-22 season (14.1 pts/game) and 2022-23 season (16.9 pts/game).
Jack Robinson, Daniel Freitag, Aidan Konop, and Riccardo Greppi are the four freshmen to join the roster.
Takeaway #2: Kamari McGee is going to step up
Kamari McGee has been a role player off the bench for Wisconsin over the first three years of his career. McGee played just over eight minutes per game in his junior year with Wisconsin, averaging 2.1 points per game.
Now, McGee is stepping into a leadership role in his senior season. He is one of the loudest voices at practice, shouting out advice and encouragement. The senior scored 11 points in the Red and White game and is fighting to be the starting point guard for the Badgers this season.
Takeaway #3: This was a physical and scrappy scrimmage
The defense was physical. Both sides shot a combined 40.2% (43/107) from the field.
It was a continuous battle in the paint, and both sides frequently hit the deck to dive on the ball. This is clearly a Wisconsin basketball team full of fresh faces fighting for playing time.
Next game: Exhibition vs UW-River Falls (Oct. 30, 7 p.m.)