MADISON, Wis. - University of Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard was trying to get his starting point guard across the finish line.
Chucky Hepburn had been under the weather since arriving in Fort Myers and had done his best to gut it out through two taxing games. His shots weren’t falling, just 1-for-11 through three halves of basketball, but he was effectively running the offense with six assists and no turnovers against a stingy Virginia defense and an SMU roster that averaged 10.6 steals per game.
But while he was doing Hepburn a favor by giving him a lengthy rest at the start of the second half, when Wisconsin was trying to erase a deficit, Gard could hear Hepburn pushing UW’s assistants to get him back on the court.
“I knew he wasn’t feeling well and trying to give him as must rest as he could,” Gard said. “He wanted to be back in there at the end, and it was like, ‘ok, put me back in and try to get this thing over the top.’”
That's exactly what he did. Channeling all the energy he could, Hepburn gutted through the final 10:36 and shined in the final 4:36, scoring all 10 of his points and creating opportunities for his teammates to help Wisconsin win its first title of the season.
Shaking off a 7-for-28 stretch, Hepburn delivered on his favorite shot twice – a step-back three-pointer – and drove to the rim to create a three-point play. The stretch turned a four-point deficit into a six-point edge in less than four minutes.
“I just knew it was time for me to step up,” Hepburn said. “I knew my teammates needed me. I finally felt more energy coming off the bench.”
Even at less than 100 percent, UW maximized the minutes Hepburn was on the court. UW intentionally ran more ball screens, dribble handoffs, and pick and rolls for Hepburn, spreading the floor to open windows to shoot and alleys to pass.
The Badgers got Virginia players hedging on Monday, exposing forward Steven Crowl rolling to the rim for easy looks at the basket. Against SMU, the Mustangs collapsed in the paint, and Hepburn made them pay for it.
“Some of the stuff he does doesn’t show up on the box score,” Crowl said. “Him commanding the ball and just being the presence he is is huge for us.”
In just 72 hours, the outlook of Wisconsin basketball has returned to optimism. The Badgers picked up a pair of Quad-1 level victories by dominating a top-25 Virginia team and coming back from 11 down to win a close game against the Mustangs.
Both those things were largely absent last season when UW's inability to beat quality opponents or close out games kept the Badgers out of the NCAA Tournament.
Few players took last season harder than Hepburn, who went from the hero in March 2022 when he banked in the winning three-pointer to clinch the Big Ten championship over No.8 Purdue to someone fans viewed as reckless and unreliable.
The criticism was bountiful as he adjusted to life without guards Johnny Davis and Brad Davison. The vital playmaking guard as only a sophomore, he struggled with a willingness to attack the rim and was afraid to seek out contact with bad right knee inflammation that he never used as an excuse and was never reported.
It was easy to see the loss of confidence. Hepburn air-balled potential game-winning shots, rushed late-game possessions where the Badgers desperately needed a basket, and couldn’t knock down even the most wide-open looks with regularity.
Hepburn spent all offseason knowing he didn’t train hard enough the summer before. He worked on speed training at a facility in Kansas, improving his ability to move off the ball and play in isolation. He added muscle while trimming 10 pounds off his frame.
He had high expectations for himself entering the season, which was why losses to No.9 Tennessee (where he didn’t play well enough) and at Providence (where he didn’t play well at all) ate at him.
Addressing the media after the loss to the Volunteers, Hepburn could only muster a one-word answer to the two questions he was asked.
He was more vocal with a tournament title t-shirt and hat on Wednesday, knowing he helped get things back on track.
“(Winning the tournament) sets a tone for us, sets a standard,” Hepburn said. “We’re back to where we want to be defensively (and) offensively. We’re back to playing Wisconsin basketball, and that’s what we love to see.”
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