The Wisconsin Badgers pulled off a key victory over the Northwestern Wildcats on Friday, beating their opponent 70-61 to move on to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.
It was a different win than their blowout victory on Thursday, as the Badgers had to fight until the last minute to put away a tough Northwestern team, but they were ultimately up for the challenge, extending their Big Ten season for at least another game.
While any win at this stage is a bonus, Friday’s victory over Northwestern was especially impressive because the Badgers were without point guard Chucky Hepburn, who did not play due to a lower leg injury.
Hepburn’s status came as a surprise, both to the public and the team, as head coach Greg Gard revealed that the guard was only ruled out 30 minutes before tip-off, leading Wisconsin to start John Blackwell for the first time this season.
“I was told Chucky tried to get it to go a little bit and tried to warm up,” Gard said after the game. “Then I was told about 30 minutes before the game that he wasn’t going to — he said he couldn’t go. Obviously, the health of our guys is always first and foremost, so I completely leave that up to our trainers and our medical people.”
Hepburn had played 21 minutes in Wisconsin’s 87-56 victory over the Maryland Terrapins on Thursday, scoring 10 points on a perfect 4/4 from the field, while dishing out eight assists.
While it wasn’t clear when Hepburn suffered the injury, it was clearly serious enough to the point where the Badgers felt it was best to keep the guard out for Thursday’s game.
With Hepburn out, guard A.J. Storr rose to the challenge, scoring a career-high 30 points, which was instrumental in the team’s victory.
“Chucky told us before the game he wasn’t playing, so that kind of motivated us all to play harder,” Storr said. “I ended up playing 35 minutes. I didn’t know, but it went great.”
Additionally, Hepburn’s injury led to extended minutes for both John Blackwell, who suffered an ankle injury of his own, and Kamari McGee, whom Greg Gard praised for stepping up to the occasion.
“Kam, it’s another example of somebody stepping up and really helping,” Gard said. “That play (McGee’s major block) was huge. I’ll have to watch that when I get back to the hotel.”
Hepburn’s status could merely be a precaution as the most important games remaining on the schedule will be the one(s) that Wisconsin plays in the NCAA Tournament.
The Badgers have secured a spot in the tournament already with their strong resume, and their two wins in the Big Ten Tournament should keep them at a No. 6 seed, although they have the opportunity to move up with more wins.
But, his health will certainly be something to monitor over the next week, as Hepburn has been a key piece to Wisconsin’s success all year long on both sides of the court.