Five Wisconsin Badgers who could make a difference in 2024-25

MADISON, Wis. – In this new era of college basketball Steven Crowl And Max Klesmit can be considered dinosaurs.

The two 1,000-point graduate scorers are expected to be the cornerstones of Wisconsin's 2024-25 roster and have started over 100 college games in their fifth season. Of the more than 350 Division 1 schools in college basketball, only Kansas, Kentucky and Nebraska can boast two players with as many starts.

It's no wonder those two, along with last season's All-Big Ten freshman John Blackwell, are seen as the ones filling important roles on a team that was picked in a tie for 12th in the conference's unofficial media poll became.

But with eight players preparing for their first season at Wisconsin and five preparing for their first season of college basketball, the Badgers have spent most of their preseason camp working with different combinations on the court. Head coach Greg Gard has touted the group's depth, size and versatility, meaning the mix and match of lineups will be on full display tonight when the Badgers host UW-River Falls in their only exhibition game, well beyond the Nov. 4 opener will last beyond.

Here are five players who will likely take on expanded roles within the program.

Gard said in early October that he and the staff had to be specific and intentional about the players they added to the program through the portal. Knowing that his best teams have a lot of experience, it was important to sign Tonje considering he played in over 130 games (46 starts) and scored over 1,000 points.

Tonje looked fresh after playing in just eight games last season at Missouri and showed during public workouts to the media that he is a multi-dimensional winger, a 6-5 guard who can score at all three levels Dribbling and from the free throw line. In his last full season at Colorado State, Tonje shot 45.2 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from three-point range.

Tonje mentioned “fit” multiple times when discussing why he committed to Wisconsin, citing Gard’s system as one that can help him improve offensively and defensively. He is also fully healed from the foot injury that limited him to eight games last season and allowed him to regain a year of eligibility.

The addition of Tonje gives Wisconsin multiple lineup options with him on the floor, playing him at the three or going smaller with him at the four.

Last season at Northern Illinois, Amos made 49.6 percent of his shots and averaged 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game in just over 30 minutes per game. The team targeted Amos because of his ability to make shots at the rim (62.7 percent). ) and the scope (38.5 percent). He was praised by Gard and the staff for his abilities, as he brings a better wing component to the floor than the staff expected when they recruited him from the portal.

Speaking to reporters last week, Amos said he felt he could guard any of the five positions on the field, but said he was most comfortable guarding the three or four. While Amos admits he is still growing in the transition to power conference basketball, he has gained over 10 pounds in weight to help him with runs to the rim.

For Amos, the most important thing will be how quickly he can get comfortable with UW's extensive use of ball screens, something that's new to him and something he's getting used to.

One of the biggest questions heading into the season is who will start at point guard. The Badgers have options of veteran reserves, veteran two guards, transfer players and rookies.

It's a stark change from what Wisconsin has faced at the position over the last three seasons. Chucky Hepburn was a key player for Wisconsin with his ability to score, facilitate and defend. His decision to transfer to Louisville to capitalize on a larger name, image and image deal was a tough pill to swallow for the program.

McGee sat behind Hepburn the past two seasons and has been Wisconsin's most consistent point guard in camp, largely because of his experience with Crowl, Klesmit and others. This experience flows noticeably into leadership on and off the pitch. At last week's Red-White Scrimmage, McGee scored 11 points (5 of 12) in 32 minutes, grabbed four rebounds (two offensive) and had two assists with no turnovers.

“He understood what he could do and what he couldn’t do,” Gard said of McGee. “I would say he hasn't had a clear understanding of it for the last two years. He knows when to accelerate and when not to. He stays out of trouble a lot, which has sometimes been his fault in the past. He handled the command he took on really well.”

Depending on the matchups (junior transfer), UW may take a committee approach to point guard Camren Hunter and real newbie Daniel Friday have shined in some moments during open drills, and the UW hasn't ruled out using them John Blackwell or Klesmit in certain places), but the others don't have the courage and energy that McGee plays with at the moment.

Winter played in all 36 games as a true freshman but remained largely in a reserve role, averaging 2.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in 9.4 minutes per game. He has put himself in a better position this season and has more than doubled his minutes. He has even gone so far as to play alongside Crowl at the four or log heavy minutes at the five.

Winter was the clear rebounding leader in UW practices this fall as well as in intrasquad scrimmage, working alongside the former UW center Jared Berggren to expand his offensive game and be more physical in the lower block. With shooting at a premium, Wisconsin offers more options in its lineup in the winter with a rim protector and a confident low-post scorer.

Janicki redshirted last season after coming to Wisconsin as a walk-on and was active on both ends of the floor during open media drills. In a situational scrimmage in practice, the 6-5 guard provided offense through steals, drives to the rim and to the free throw line. Janicki was the Red team's best reserve in last Sunday's scrimmage, scoring eight points (2 of 5 on threes), two rebounds, two assists and no turnovers in 29 minutes. He finished with a plus-minus ratio of 21, the best among the 17 players on the floor.

Considering Wisconsin lost five guards to the portal last season, Janicki's perimeter acumen and competitiveness could earn him minutes in a deep rotation.

“There is a fight for different positions,” Gard said. “It's not just two or three people fighting for a player's spot. It's across the board. Jack took part. Jack has done things that may not be noticeable, but he makes a lot of winning moves. He does a lot of things that winning teams do.”

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