Former Wisconsin basketball guard Chucky Hepburn put together his best performance of the 2024-25 season in the Louisville Cardinals’ blowout win over No. 14 Indiana on Wednesday.
As one of eight teams competing in the Battle 4 Atlantis non-conference tournament, Louisville decimated the No. 14-ranked Hoosiers 89-61 on Wednesday morning.
Hepburn was absolutely electric on both sides of the floor. In 29 minutes of action, the former Badger star registered 16 points, a season-high 10 assists and seven steals. Those numbers came on 7-of-10 shooting and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc.
Through five games with the Cardinals, Hepburn is responsible for averages of 11.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.8 steals in over 27 minutes per game. As of Nov. 27, his 3.8 swipes per contest are the second-best in the nation behind only UC San Diego’s Hayden Gray (3.86 SPG).
Hepburn, who flashed his defensive brilliance during his tenure in Madison, is morphing into one of college basketball’s most pesky perimeter defenders. He is also proving his worth on the offensive end — the guard is shooting over 51% from the floor for the Cardinals to start the season.
In 103 career appearances with Wisconsin from 2021-24, the point guard averaged 32.1 minutes per game, 9.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.6 steals on 42% shooting and 36% from three-point range.
In his absence, the Badgers have leaned on star wing John Tonje and sophomore guard John Blackwell. Wisconsin is off to a red-hot 8-0 start to the season and currently sits at No. 15 in the latest AP Poll.
MADISON (AP) — Around 25 protesters were arrested as around 1,000 animal welfare activists tried to gain entry to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin and were met by officers firing pepper spray and rubber bullets, authorities said Sunday.
Saturday’s protest was the second attempt in as many months by demonstrators to take beagles from Ridglan Farms in Blue Mounds, about 25 miles (about 40 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Madison. They were turned back by officers who arrested the group’s leader.
Owen Ziliak/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
Activists attempt to gain entry into Ridglan Farms beagle breeding and research facility on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Blue Mounds, Wis.
The Dane County Sheriff’s Office said the situation was “significantly calmer and more peaceful” on Sunday, when around 200 people assembled outside the farm. They dispersed after around two hours, it said.
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“We’re pleased with the group’s cooperation today, and their willingness to remain peaceful, while still sending their message of concern for the dogs at Ridglan Farms,” Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a statement. “We are happy to support anyone who wants to exercise the right to protest, as long as they do so lawfully.”
Owen Ziliak/The Wisconsin State Journal via AP
A Wisconsin State Patrol officer points a can of mace at activists as officers make way for a van to leave the grounds of Ridglan Farms beagle breeding and research facility on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Blue Mounds, Wis.
The sheriff had said in a video statement Saturday that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property.” They tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence.
Owen Ziliak/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
Activists help an elderly woman after she had been tear gassed during an attempt to gain entry into Ridglan Farms beagle breeding and research facility on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Blue Mounds, Wis.
Some got through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
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Amber Arnold/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
Animal rights activists react to tear gas while attempting to gain entry into Ridglan Farms beagle breeding and research facility on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Blue Mounds, Wis.
Those arrested included the leader of the Coalition to Save the Ridglan Dogs, Wayne Hsiung, 44, of New York, who was being held on a tentative felony charge of conspiracy to commit burglary. But most arrestees were just booked and released, the sheriff’s office said Sunday.
“No one should be assaulted for giving aid to a dog, even if damage to property is part of that rescue effort,” Hsuing said in a statement from jail Sunday that also accused authorities of using excessive force. “The animals of this Earth are not “things.” They’re sentient beings. And we have the right to rescue them from abuse,” he concluded.
Protesters took 30 dogs when they broke into the facility in March, when authorities arrested 27 people.
Ridglan denies mistreating animals but agreed in October to give up its state breeding license as of July 1 in a deal to avoid prosecution on animal mistreatment charges.
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On its website, the company says “no credible evidence of animal abuse, cruelty, mistreatment or neglect at Ridglan Farms has ever been presented or substantiated.”
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About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
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The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Animal rights activists attempt to break into Ridglan Farms beagle breeding and research facility in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, on Saturday. Photo: AP
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
The Wisconsin men’s basketball team has signed Miami (OH) transfer Eian Elmer.
Elmer, a 6-foot-7 wing, averaged 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds last season while shooting efficiently from 3-point range.
He is the third transfer portal addition for the Badgers this offseason.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
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Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
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The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
