A trip to the Sweet Sixteen on the line, at “Kohl Center East” Wisconsin clashed with the 11th seed Iowa State. The Badgers could not overcome the poor shooting, injury to Chucky, and turnovers. The Badgers lose 54-49 and the miracle season ends in the round of 32. Here are my thoughts.
Offensive Woes
First off, Credit to Iowa State and their defense. That was without a doubt the toughest defensive team Wisconsin has faced all season. Even before the injury to Chucky Hepburn, Wisconsin wasn’t exactly lighting it up offensively. After the injury, the Badgers limped into halftime not making a shot in the final five minutes.
I worried about this team’s ability to shoot the three all season, and tonight it finally caught up to them. An abysmal 2/23 from behind the line. I think everyone can admit, these were fairly good looks for Wisconsin. Jordan Davis had two good looks from the corner late. Crowl and Neath both missed the hoop on clean looks. Even Johnny had some good looks from three. At one point, Coach Gard even put in UNLV transfer Isaac Lindsey. Lindsey only appeared in four games before tonight. Safe to say, Gard was desperate for some shooting. This is also a direct result of the lack of bench production all season.
#Badgers committed a season-high 17 turnovers and shot a season-low 9.1 percent from 3-point range.
This team already had a small margin for error, but that's tough to overcome, even when you only give up 54 points.
— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) March 21, 2022
Aside from the poor shooting the loss of Hepburn also caused issues with ball security. Wisconsin came into this game ranked first in the country when it comes to turnovers. This afternoon they tallied 17 turnovers. Double their season average. 49 points, 17 turnovers, and 2/23 from the three point line. It’s a miracle Wisconsin was even in this game.
Chucky Injury
It’s no secret to anyone in the country how important true Freshman Chucky Hepburn is to this Badgers squad. When he went down with a nasty looking ankle injury in the first half, you felt the concern offensively for Wisconsin. Not to mention, Lorne Bowman II was not available today. Wisconsin was left with no true point guard. I’m just glad that we will have Chucky for the next three years running our team.
Thank You
It felt like this dream season was never going to end. As they say, all good things must come to an end. This group took what was supposed to be a “down” year for Wisconsin basketball and won a share of the regular season Big Ten Championship.
This group made every single game enjoyable and overcame a ton of adversity. Coach Gard and his staff were met with drama during the off-season and he was able to rally the troops and have a productive season.
Brad Davison
Thank you to Brad Davison who will leave Madison with quite a few records. Most notable, being games played and three pointers made. Brad was not a fan favorite among other teams, but Badger fans knew how important he was to this program. There have been rumblings of him joining the coaching staff in the future, and I personally would love that.
Brad Davison on how he hopes he'll be remember:
"Just somebody who gave their heart and soul to try and be a great teammate, great leader, friend, and brother. Tried to do everything he could to help his team win."#Badgers
— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) March 21, 2022
Chris Vogt
Thank you to Chris Vogt who transferred this year from Cinnicanti. He brought energy and heart every time he stepped on the floor. A force on the offensive glass and blocking shots. Chris also faced some serious adversity when his hometown was struck by a devastating tornado. Chris raised a ton of money to help his community, and those are guys I love to have in our program.
Johnny Davis
This final thank you comes with a little speculation. Thank you to Johnny Davis. Who I am assuming will enter the NBA draft this season. Projected to be a top-10 pick, I personally think players should enter the draft when their stock is the highest. For Johnny, that is right now.
Johnny Davis on his future:
"I'm a little hurt from the loss. I didn't want the season to end this way. For right now, i just want to cherish these past two years at Wisconsin."#Badgers
— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) March 21, 2022
National Player of the Year candidate, All-American, Big Ten Player of the Year is quite the resume for one season. The first player to average 20 PPG in a season since Michael Finley. Johnny has become my favorite Badger of all time. It was such a joy just watching him play and taking over games this season. He leaves a forever lasting legacy at Wisconsin. Proving that kids from Wisconsin can stay home, and still pursue their NBA dreams.
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