Look I realize it’s January 4th, and making sweeping declarations about college hoops on January 4th is like projecting baseball on April 15th, but last night was a HUGE win for Wisconsin. Even when the Badgers have been loaded with talent, winning at Mackey Arena against Purdue has been like drawing blood from a stone. But not only did they win in Mackey Arena, they did it against a National Title contender that was ranked #3 in the country.
And they did it on the back of Johnny Davis. Holy moly is this kid the real deal. I remember being excited about the fact that they got him to commit to Wisconsin a few years ago, and you certainly saw some flashes in his freshman season last year, but he is on another level right now. 37 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals last night. Ho-hum. He is the rare Wisconsin guard that can create, and hit, his own shot regularly. Easily the most talented player to don a Badger jersey since Sam Dekker/Frank Kaminsky. And the fact that he has been able to create his own shot has garnered him a ton of double teams, which has freed up doctoral candidate Brad Davison for more open looks. Davison is having one of this best offensive seasons in his career because Davis is generating more open looks for him.
But I think coming out of last night, you absolutely have to talk about Davis as a Big Ten POY candidate, and at this point he’s popping up as a National POY candidate. The only bummer of the whole thing is that it feels pretty likely that he could be a lottery pick in the NBA this season, so who knows how long his college career will last. And even with Davis playing the way he is, I’m not certain this Badger team is a National Title contender. They need to find a way to get Steven Crowl and Tyler Wahl more consistent, but if they can make that happen, maybe this is a team that can make a deep run.
Long story long, I have fallen for the 2021-22 Badgers, and I am prepared for inevitable heartbreak in two short months.
PS: Purdue ALWAYS having a freakishly tall center is the totem of the Big Ten. It’s as consistent as time, the tides, the sun rising and falling. This year’s version is Zach Edey:
7’4! They must have some kind of factory or something on campus that churns these guys out. It’s insane.
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