MADISON — Twelve different Wisconsin players scored on the way to an 87-44 victory over UW-Stevens Points in exhibition action on Wednesday night at the Kohl Center.

Player of the Game: Chucky Hepburn

Now in his third year as Wisconsin’s starting point guard, Hepburn never forced the action against UW-Stevens Point. He found his spots and set his guys up to the tune of six assists. The junior was also his normal pesky self on the defensive end of the floor, where he came up with four of Wisconsin’s 10 steals on the night. He took only five shots, hitting three of them, including a pull-up 3-pointer to give him seven points on the night and put the Badgers up 36 with 8:40 to go.

Coach Greg Gard said afterward that what fans saw in the game is exactly what he’s seen in practice from Hepburn, adding that the Nebraska native has a 7-1 turnover ratio in live action drills.

“He’s really dispersing it well, which has been one of the focuses of the offseason. Of having him facilitate more, to add to what he can do scoring-wise,” Gard said. “Anytime you can play a game with no turnovers, with as much as he handles it, … that’s a good sign.”

The good: New faces

Wisconsin returns its five starters from last season, but fans got a look at some new and intriguing faces against the Pointers. St. John’s transfer AJ Storr led the way with 14 points and appears poised to fill the massive hole that Johnny Davis left after declaring for the NBA Draft following the 2021-2022 season, especially athletically and in creating his own shot. He can also be a weapon in transition, whether it’s him with the ball or being on the receiving end of quick passes.

Freshman big Nolan Winter nearly had a double-double, posting nine points and nine rebounds, and looked especially smooth while shooting from beyond the arc and at the free throw line.

Fellow freshman John Blackwell was the second guard off the bench and showed no hesitation in sticking his nose in on either end of the court. He ended up with eight points, six rebounds and a couple of assists.

The three new additions combined to go 4-for-8 from beyond the arc and 7-for-8 at the line.

The not so good: FT shooting

The Badgers shot just 69.1% from the free throw line a year ago, which ranked 273rd in the country. On Wednesday, they went just 14-for-21 as a team. However, they get a bit of a break here, as the top nine players in the rotation went 12-for-15, including 7-for-8 from the starting lineup.

Stat of the Game: 22

That’s how many fastbreak points Wisconsin had, which has been a major emphasis in the summer and in the fall as they try to find a way to get some more easy buckets.

In Case You Missed It

— Prior to the game, it was announced that freshman Gus Yalden would be taking a temporary leave of absence from the team to deal with a personal family matter.

— Wisconsin’s opening lineup featured four starters from last year — Tyler Wahl, Steven Crowl, Hepburn and Max Klesmit — along with Storr.

— The first players off the bench were Winter and Connor Essegian, with Carter Gilmore and Blackwell following them.

— Wisconsin used some full court press in the game. It created some trouble for the Pointers, including a steal by Hepburn that turned into a basket for Blackwell in the first half. Using the press has not been something the Badgers have done much in the 22 years of the Bo Ryan/Greg Gard era, though the coaches used it at previous stops. Gard said it’s something they’ve committed a lot of time and effort into during the spring and summer. It’s still a work in progress but you should expect to see it at times this year.

— Essegian continues to shoot whenever he has even a little bit of a good look. He put up a team-high 10 shots in just 15 minutes of action. It included nine 3-pointers, with him hitting three of them. All of those came in the second half when the shots were a little bit more within the rhythm of the offense. PA announcer Mike Mahnke appears to have settled on saying “C-E-3” every time Essegian hits a 3-pointer.

You probably don't want to keep him open… @CEssegian

Stream on @BigTenPlus pic.twitter.com/bmhtLXaLUk

— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) November 2, 2023

— Tyler Wahl did a little bit of everything for the Badgers, finishing with nine points (4-for-6 shooting), five rebounds and two assists. He also drew a team-high six fouls.

— Wisconsin’s starting backcourt of Hepburn and Klesmit combined for 10 assists, six steals and no turnovers.

What’s next?

Wisconsin will open the season Monday night against Arkansas State. The Red Wolves were picked to finish ninth in the Sun Belt Conference.