Badger fans watching another season end just short of a national title:
Sucks. After watching 2014 disintegrate in the Final Four, and watching 2015 come up short in the national title game, I thought this would be our year. But it wasn’t to be. Despite a 13 point lead in the first half, and an 8 point lead with 9 minutes to go, the Badgers just couldn’t bring it home. That’s what happens when you run into a blue blood, though. It’s not over until the clock reads 0:00. Maybe next year.
In all seriousness, if you watched the entirety of that game last night you deserve a medal, or a certificate, or an NFT, or something. Eye gouging basketball. The whole game could have been an email.
And the ending was pure poetry. The Badgers played mind-numbing offense all season and lost a million games by 5 points or less. So it is altogether appropriate that it concludes with a 2-point loss and a 9 minute scoring drought.
Seriously think about that: The Badgers had a 54-46 lead with 9:06 remaining, and lost 56-54. I’m not even mad, that’s impressive. They scored 13 points in a half. 13! And the sad thing is, if they score 16 points (IN AN ENTIRE HALF), they win the game!
The final possession was the cherry on top as they didn’t even get a shot off to try and tie or win the game. Absolutely perfect. Badger fans have been frustrated by Chucky Hepburn’s 35-foot three-point attempts late in games all season, but at least if he attempts one there you have a chance to win. 0% chance to win playing hot potato with the basketball as time expires.
Now look, I’ve been on record on the blog and on the podcast all season that Greg Gard should be given an opportunity to fix this next season. This year was a letdown, no doubt. But coming into this season the Badgers had won 2 of the last 3 Big Ten regular season titles, and Gard had won the Coach of the Year award in each of those 2 seasons. Plus, you could build a legitimate case that if they make 8 more shots this year, they win 23 games and make the tournament as a 6 seed. With all of their one-possession losses it’s not that far fetched.
And for better or worse, a LOT of this year’s team will be back next season. This is a pretty young team. Hepburn is only a sophomore, Crowl is a junior, Klesmit is a junior, and Essegian is a freshman. Hopefully they all learned a LOT this season, and come back stronger and smarter. That is typically what happens at this level.
The questions will be, 1) Will Tyler Wahl be back, and 2) What can they do in the transfer portal.
#1 first, I think Wahl will be back. The season basically unraveled when when he went down with that ankle injury. At that point the Badgers were 11-2 and 3-0 in Big Ten play. Then they started to spiral. And I honestly don’t think he was ever fully healthy for the rest of the season. He is a senior, but all college basketball and football players have an extra Covid Year of eligibility if they want it. Wahl is not an NBA player, and even if he becomes a professional internationally, he could start that in 2024 without losing much of his potential future income. And with NIL, he can make money coming back to school as well.
#2 I’m not so sure about. It sounds like they are already active targeting potential transfer players for 2023/24, so that’s encouraging. One thing they REALLY lacked this year was depth, and I’m not sure this year’s recruiting class or next year’s are going to help. So they’re going to need to make a few moves. A big, strong forward and a wing who can hit shots more consistently would be great adds, but I’m not certain where they’d come from.
The bottom line is this: Greg Gard has a .636 winning percentage at Wisconsin, he’s made the tournament 5 times and the Sweet 16 twice. But he’s also missed the tournament 2 times. Chris McIntosh has been a wild card when it comes to turning over programs during his tenure as AD, and EVERYONE is jacked up for Badger football and the Luke Fickell Era to get underway. I still think he gives Gard the benefit of the doubt for one more season in 2023/24. Another lackluster effort and you’ve got to believe they’re moving on.
PS: North Texas and Wisconsin both play terrible offense at a terribly slow pace. Ipso facto, the over/under on total points was only 115.5. That is INSANE. And at that 9:06 mark, with the score sitting at 54-46, they only needed 16 more points to hit the over. 16 points in nine minutes. And the under STILL hit. LOL.
