MADISON, Wis. – In this new era of college basketball, Steven Crowl and Max Klesmit can be considered dinosaurs.

Likely to be the lynchpins of Wisconsin’s 2024-25 roster, the pair of graduate 1,000-point scorers have started over 100 collegiate games entering their fifth seasons. Of the over 350 Division-1 schools in college basketball, only Kansas, Kentucky, and Nebraska boast two players with that many starts.

It’s no wonder those two, along with last season’s freshman All-Big Ten selection John Blackwell, have been tabbed as the ones to fill critical roles on a team picked in a tie for 12th in the unofficial conference media poll.

But with eight players preparing for their first season at Wisconsin, and five reading for their first season of collegiate basketball, the Badgers have spent most of their preseason camp working with different on-court combinations. Head coach Greg Gard has touted the group's depth, size, and versatility, which means the mixing and matching of lineups will be on full display tonight when the Badgers host UW-River Falls in their lone exhibition game and be ongoing well past the November 4 opener.

Here are five players who will likely have expanded roles within the program.

Gard said in early October that he and the staff had to be specific and intentional about the players they added to the program through the portal. Knowing his best teams have heavy doses of experience, bringing in Tonje was important, considering he has played in over 130 games (46 starts) and has scored over 1,000 points.

Looking fresh after playing in only eight games last season at Missouri, Tonje showed during open practices to the media that he is a multidimensional wing, a 6-5 guard who can score on all three levels, off the dribble, and from the free throw line. In his last full season, Tonje shot 45.2 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from three-point range while at Colorado State.

Tonje mentioned “fit” several times when discussing why he committed to Wisconsin and cited Gard’s system as one that can help him improve offensively and defensively. He also is fully healed from the foot injury that limited to him eight games last season and allowed him to recoup a year of eligibility.

The addition of Tonje gives Wisconsin multiple lineup possibilities with him on the floor, playing him at the three or going smaller with him at the four.

Making 49.6 percent of his shots and averaging 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game in just over 30 minutes per contest last season at Northern Illinois, Amos was targeted by the staff for his ability to make shots at the rim (62.7 percent) and the perimeter (38.5 percent). He’s been praised by Gard and the staff for his skills, bringing a better wing component to the floor than what the staff expected when they recruited him out of the portal.

Speaking to reporters last week, Amos said he felt could guard any of the five positions on the floor but says guarding the three or the four is where he’s most comfortable. Admitting he’s still growing as he transitions into a power conference basketball, Amos has added over 10 pounds to his frame to help him battle on runs to the rim.

The big key for Amos will be how quickly he can get comfortable with UW’s large use of ball screens, something that’s new for him and he’s adjusting to.

One of the biggest questions entering the season is who will start at point guard. The Badgers have options from experienced reserves, experienced two guards, transferred players, and freshmen.

It’s a stark change to what Wisconsin dealt with at the position the last three seasons. Chucky Hepburn was one of the key pieces to Wisconsin with his ability to score, facilitate, and defend. His decision to transfer to Louisville to capitalize on a bigger name, image, and likeness deal was a hard pill to swallow for the program.

Sitting behind Hepburn the last two seasons, McGee has been Wisconsin’s most consistent point guard during camp, largely because of his experience playing with Crowl, Klesmit, and others. That experience bleeds into on-court and off-court leadership which has been noticeable. In last week’s Red-White Scrimmage, McGee scored 11 points (5-for-12) in 32 minutes, secured four rebounds (two offensive), and had two assists to no turnovers.

“He’s understood what he can do and understood what he can’t do,” Gard said of McGee. “I would say the previous two years he didn’t have a clear grasp of that. He knows when to step on the gas and when not to. He avoids trouble a lot, which was sometimes a fault of his in the past. He’s done a really good job of the command he’s taken.”

UW may go with a committee approach to point guard depending on matchups (junior transfer Camren Hunter and true freshman Daniel Freitag have shined in moments during open practices, and UW hasn't ruled out using John Blackwell or Klesmit in certain spots), but the grit and energy McGee plays with is something the others don’t currently have.

Winter played in all 36 games as a true freshman but stayed mostly in a reserve role averaging 2.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in 9.4 minutes per game. He’s put himself in a better position this season to more than double his minutes, even going as far as playing alongside Crowl at the four or logging heavy minutes at the five.

The clear rebounding leader in UW’s practices this fall, as well as in the intrasquad scrimmage, Winter worked with former UW center Jared Berggren to grow his offensive game and be more physical in the low block. With shooting being at a premium, having a rim protector and confident low-post scorer in Winter gives Wisconsin more options with its lineup.

Redshirting last season after joining Wisconsin as a walk-on, Janicki has been active on both ends of the floor during open media practices. In a situational scrimmage in practice, the 6-5 guard created offense off steals, drives to the rim, and at the free throw line. The top reserve on the red squad in last Sunday’s scrimmage, Janicki had eight points (2-for-5 on threes), two rebounds, two assists, and no turnovers in 29 minutes. He finished with a 21 plus-minus ratio that was best among the 17 players on the floor.

Considering Wisconsin lost five guards to the portal last season, Janicki’s perimeter acumen and ability to compete could earn him minutes in a deep rotation.

“There’s a battle there for a variety of positions,” Gard said. “It’s not just two or three guys battling for one player’s spot. It’s across the board. Jack’s competed. Jack has done things that maybe don’t jump off the page but he makes a lot of winning plays. He does a lot of things winning teams do.”

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