1. LAST TIME OUT

Wisconsin unofficially tipped off its season with an 87-44 exhibition win over UW-Stevens Point. Transfer guard AJ Storr scored a team-high 14 points. Sophomore guard Connor Essegian (11 points) and junior forward Steven Crowl (10 points) rounded out double-figure scoring for the Badgers. Freshman forward Nolan Winter posted a near double-double off of the bench with nine points and nine rebounds.

2. FOR STARTERS

Wisconsin has won 24 of its last 25 home openers, including an 85-59 win over South Dakota last season. UW is 24-1 all-time in openers at the Kohl Center. Under Gard, UW is 6-0 in season openers at home and has won by an average margin of 22.3 points per game. Wisconsin is 6-1 in season openers overall under Gard, only suffering a 65-63 overtime setback vs. Saint Mary's in South Dakota in 2019.

3. NEW FACES IN MADISON

Wisconsin welcomes a handful of new faces to the team this season. Transfer sophomore guard AJ Storr joins the Badgers after playing at St. John's last season where he was an BIG EAST All-Freshman Team standout. UW also has a heralded freshman class made up of John Blackwell (Highland Park, Mich.), Jack Janicki (White Bear Lake, Minn.), Nolan Winter (Lakeville, Minn.) and Gus Yalden (Appleton, Wis.).

4. GARD'S GUIDANCE

Greg Gard enters his ninth season as head coach, having led Wisconsin to Big Ten titles in two of the last four seasons while maintaining a winning culture. Gard has guided the Badgers to a record of 164-93 (.638), the fourth-highest win total and third-highest win percentage in program history. Wisconsin has won 20 or more games in 18 of the last 21 seasons, including last season.

5. BATTLE-TESTED BADGERS

The 2023-24 schedule shapes up to be a competitive and exciting slate for Wisconsin this season. Last season, the Badgers faced three ranked teams the entire season. This year, Wisconsin is scheduled to face four AP Top 25 ranked teams in the first 10 games alone (three of those four teams are ranked in the top 10).

Wisconsin has had a penchant for playing in — and winning — tight games. Last season, UW played in 21 games decided by five points or less. The Badgers were 13-8 in such games. UW's 21 “close games” last season was the most by any major conference team since at least 2009-10.