Wisconsin Basketball: Five storylines for the 2018-19 season

With Wisconsin Basketball’s first game nearly upon us, Badger of Honor has you covered with the key storylines that will define the Badgers’ season.

We are just 13 days away from Wisconsin’s season opener against Coppin State at the Kohl Center, and it can’t come soon enough. Badger fans are eager to move on from the debacle that was Wisconsin’s 2017-18 season and see their hoops program resume its winning ways.

Last season was defined by a slow start in which the Badgers shot themselves in the foot early with several brutal losses to ranked teams, crippling injuries to the backcourt, and the first losing record for the program in 20 years. While it was unquestionably a terrible outcome for a fan base that has grown accustomed to a sustained level of success, there are plenty of reasons for us to believe that this season will be a completely different story.

In other words, expect Wisconsin to get back to its winning ways.

Greg Gard returns one of the best players in program history in preseason All-American Ethan Happ, who opted to return to school after testing the NBA draft waters. Happ is surrounded by a deep, experienced, and, most importantly, healthy supporting cast led by 2017-18 Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection Brad Davison. Aside from Davison, there are a handful of other Badgers who appear poised to make big jumps this season as well.

Let’s take a closer look at the storylines surrounding this Wisconsin team that will bear keeping a close eye on over the coming months.