The week of Dec. 2 to Dec. 8 was not kind to the No. 11-ranked Wisconsin Badgers. The team dropped two high-profile matchups, one to Big Ten rival Michigan and one to in-state rival No. 5 Marquette.
The team is now 8-2 overall and 0-1 in Big Ten play entering the heart of December.
Related: Updated Big Ten basketball power rankings (Dec. 9): Wisconsin slides, Michigan surges
While the Badgers struggled on the court, so did the program’s former transfers and their respective new programs. Chucky Hepburn and the Louisville Cardinals went 0-2 against No. 23 Ole Miss and No. 9 Duke last week, while A.J. Storr and No. 1 Kansas fell to Creighton and Missouri.
Here is how the two former Badgers performed in each of those mentioned losses, plus their updated season-long averages:
Chucky Hepburn:
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vs. Ole Miss (86-63 loss): 36 minutes, 19 points, four assists, two rebounds on 5-of-10 shooting, 7-of-9 from the free-throw line
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vs. Duke (76-65 loss): 37 minutes, eight points, five assists, three rebounds on 2-of-11 shooting, 2-of-7 from three
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Season-long averages: 31.4 minutes, 14.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 3.2 steals on 48.8% shooting and 33% from three
AJ Storr:
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vs. Creighton (76-63 loss): 27 minutes, 12 points, three rebounds on 4-of-13 shooting
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vs. Missouri (76-67 loss): 18 minutes, two points, three rebounds on 1-of-7 shooting, 0-of-3 from three
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Season-long averages: 21.3 minutes, 8.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists on 41% shooting and 36% from three
Both Hepburn and Storr transferred after leading the 2023-24 Badgers in nearly every category. Hepburn did so after starting at point guard for three seasons.
The ebbs and flows of the basketball season include both hot streaks and cold spells, both individually and team-wide. Hepburn started off hot, including a statement performance in Louisville’s win over West Virginia at the Battle 4 Atlantis. He and the Cardinals have taken a step back as of late. They’re still looking to establish position in a tough ACC.
Storr, meanwhile, plays a reserve role for a Kansas team that is set to fall from its previous No. 1 ranking. He’s had strong outings, including 11 key points in the Jayhawks’ Nov. 26 win over Duke. But his numbers are down across the board after operating as Wisconsin’s primary offensive option last season.
The Badgers did well in finding transfer John Tonje this offseason. The former Colorado State and Missouri wing is averaging 21.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists through 10 games. But he, like both Hepburn and Storr, has taken a slight step back during Wisconsin’s recent losing skid.
Wisconsin is back on the court on Tuesday night on the road at No. 19 Illinois. Hepburn and Louisville host UTEP before a big game at No. 4 Kentucky, and Storr and Kansas host NC State and Brown before the holiday break.
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