Wisconsin point guard Chucky Hepburn, a three-year starter for the Badgers, has made the decision to enter the transfer portal, leaving a significant impact on the program under head coach Greg Gard, according to The Athletic. Hepburn's departure comes after an impressive career of 103 starts and an average of 9.9 points per game.

Last season, Hepburn's performance earned him All-Big Ten honorable mention, along with accolades for his defensive skills. He was named to the all-defensive team and the all-tournament team. Hepburn's impressive assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.2 ranked him second in the Big Ten conference.

In a statement provided by Wisconsin's athletics department, Coach Gard expressed his appreciation for Hepburn's contributions to the program, saying, "We have a lot of love for Chucky. He's been a big part of our program. In today's college basketball, players are making transactional decisions all over the country at every level."

Wisconsin, a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament this year, faced disappointment with an early exit in the opening-round game against James Madison. The team finished the season with a record of 22-14, falling short of their ranking as No. 6 in the AP Top 25 poll in late January.

Hepburn, who has one year of eligibility remaining, is expected to be highly sought-after in the transfer portal for his skills as a point guard. However, he has not responded to requests for comment, aside from a statement he posted on Instagram stating that his decision to transfer was not a reflection of anything lacking at Wisconsin but an opportunity to explore new possibilities in pursuit of his dreams.

With Hepburn's departure, Wisconsin now faces additional pressure to fill out their roster through the transfer portal and remain competitive in the highly competitive Big Ten conference next season. A.J. Storr, another starter for the Badgers, had initially declared for the NBA Draft but has also opted to transfer, choosing Kansas as his next destination.

The team has also seen other roster changes, as shooting guard Connor Essegian and several other players have entered the transfer portal. Wisconsin currently has three open scholarships for next season, despite the addition of incoming freshmen Daniel Freitag and Jack Robison for the 2024 recruiting class.

The Badgers have yet to secure a transfer portal player, but they have actively pursued multiple options. One notable recruitment effort has been made for forward Frankie Fidler, who visited the campus and has included Wisconsin in his top four choices. Fidler was a high school teammate of Hepburn's.

Moving forward, Wisconsin will need to find replacements for Hepburn's point guard position, as well as fill other gaps in the roster, including a scoring wing and potential depth in the frontcourt. The team currently has Kamari McGee and Daniel Freitag as the only true point guards on the roster. McGee posted an average of 2.1 points per game last season, while Freitag is regarded as one of the highest-rated recruits during Coach Gard's tenure. It is worth noting that Hepburn was the last freshman to start at point guard under Gard's leadership.