Wisconsin was defined by their balance in 2019-20. Nate Reuvers, UW’s leading scorer, averaged just 13.1 points per game. If you round up, four Badgers, not including Kobe King, averaged double-figure scoring. This team has even more depth coming next year to Madison, with a recruiting class that features five solid pieces. The 2020-2021 Badgers are going to be projected to finish near the top of the Big Ten Conference, and will certainly have much higher expectations at the start of the season than this year’s team did.
On a team where there will potentially be little separating the first guy from the tenth guy in terms of the depth chart, Aleem Ford could be a difference maker. The Georgia native had a career year this season, and his best work came during the back half of the Big Ten Conference schedule as the Badgers hit their stride. The redshirt-junior averaged career-highs with 8.6 points per contest and 4.4 boards per game. Ford also had the most efficient year during his time in Madison, as he shot the ball at a 43.2% clip from the field.
The 6-8 forward came to campus knowing that he needed to put in work in the weight room. Wisconsin took a chance on him out of IMG Academy, where he was an unranked recruit according to ESPN. Since 2016-17, Ford has added over 20 pounds of muscle and as a result became a more well-rounded player. Last season, he had a tendency to lack confidence at times, especially with his outside shot. During Ford’s redshirt-freshman year, he shot the ball at a 41% clip from downtown. That number dove down to just 28.7% in the 2018-19 season. This year, the Georgia native restored order from beyond the arc by shooting a solid 34% from distance. Shooting is extremely mental, and Ford had his head in the right place heading into the home stretch of the year. A stat that provides hope for Badger fans is that through Ford’s final 10 games of the season, that number was back up at 40% from three. There was no hesitation, even with a hand in his face:
Good one going on in Bloomington.
Aleem Ford and B1G co-leader @BadgerMBB are keeping things close. pic.twitter.com/OK4z4fqdCU
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 7, 2020
Wisconsin went 9-1 in the final ten games, and Ford was a massive reason as to why.
There was also an added level of confidence in terms of putting the ball on the deck later in the year. Ford attacked the rim with purpose and finished with better consistency as the season wore on.
The 6-8 forward also possesses the length to create problems on the defensive end of the floor. It was an end of the court that even for the first few months of this season was a work in progress for the redshirt-junior. As the Badgers team defense improved in February and March, so did Ford’s individual defense. His pick-and-roll awareness looked noticeably different from December to February. Certainly give credit to Greg Gard and the staff for much of the improvement on that end both for Ford and for the team as whole.
Arguably no Badger improved more than Ford in terms of where they were in November and where they were in March. When he balled out on both ends, Wisconsin won games. That was no coincidence. That type of improvement bodes well for a player that has added strength and consistency. All signs point towards the redshirt-senior taking another step forward next year.