Should Wisconsin Basketball Return Guard Chucky Hepburn to the Starting Lineup Following an Injury?

During the warm-ups to prepare for the game against Northwestern, guard Chucky Hepburn told Head Coach Greg Gard a half-hour before game-time he could not play. Hepburn was attempting to warm-up and move around, but struggled to move full speed without feeling any pain. Hepburn felt it would be smarter to rest his injury and make sure he is healthy for the remainder of the season rather than push his injury.

Gard agreed and chose to start true Freshman John Blackwell in the place of Hepburn. Blackwell played solid defense as he recorded two steals and three defensive rebounds along with three points on the offensive side of play. The guard struggled from the field, but made up for it with his defensive play and close-out speed on three-point shots.

Wisconsin Badgers Basketball Make Lineup Change For Northwestern Win 

Starting Blackwell has been a discussion for some time, and now the guard got his chance to do so in one of the biggest games of the season. Wisconsin basketball does not need to win the Big Ten Conference Tournament by any means, but winning would be a huge boost of confidence for a team that went through  a tough stretch. Wisconsin basketball has yet to make a statement regarding the health of Hepburn going into their game against Purdue, but it could be another start for Blackwell.

Hepburn and Gard both emphasized that they would like the talented guard to be at full health before returning to the lineup, which seems to also rule out limited minutes off the bench. Instead, guard Kamari McGee is seeing career-high minutes in place of Blackwell off the bench. Hepburn should return against Purdue, but it is still unclear how his injury feels.

Should Wisconsin Continue to Start John Blackwell in Place of Hepburn?

While starting Blackwell gives the Badgers a defensive boost in their starting lineup, Blackwell seems to be better suited as a spark off the bench for Wisconsin. Hepburn provides explosive offense and solid defense for the team when fully healthy. Hepburn has been one of the best defenders on the Wisconsin basketball team this season, but appeared to be a step slow the past few games which was likely due to his lingering injury.

Continuing to start Hepburn once he feels fully healthy and ready to play should be the move Wisconsin basketball goes with.