We have been tracking some of the long-term patterns carved out by the Wisconsin Badgers this season. One of the recent patterns we noted was that Wisconsin had accumulated a lot of games in which only two players scored in double figures. Such was the case on Friday night in a 67-55 loss to Michigan State in East Lansing. Multiple other players scored nine points apiece, however, which means that among various Wisconsin games this season, this was one of the MORE balanced displays of scoring by the Badgers.
If one was to make light of that “two double-figure scorers” pattern for Wisconsin in this game, the problem wasn’t so much that no one else scored 10 points. Having other players with nine points means a lot of different Badgers joined the fray. The problem was that Wisconsin’s second-leading scorer behind Nate Reuvers’ 19 points was Kobe King, with 10. Wisconsin needs more games in which the second-leading scorer has 15 points. Those games have been EXTREMELY rare this season.
Various statistical patterns, as you can see, have their limits. They do illustrate certain weaknesses, but they can’t be cited every single time if some of the other surrounding details undercut the thesis the pattern tries to put forth.
The pattern I will focus on in this particular piece is not the amount of double-figure scorers Wisconsin generated against Michigan State (in keeping with many games over the past month and a half). I will point to another pattern which has been part of most Wisconsin games this season. It emerged in every 2020 game except the 71-70 loss to Wisconsin.
Can you guess what pattern I am referring to? Here is the answer: One Wisconsin starter has gone scoreless in every 2020 game but one.
It happened at Ohio State. It happened in the win at Penn State. It happened in the narrow win over Maryland. It happened against Michigan State. Sometimes this starter is Aleem Ford, but it hasn’t always been him. Brad Davison went scoreless in a 2020 game. The identity of this player rotates, but the reality of one Wisconsin starter serving up a bagel has recurred in the first few weeks of January.
Imagine what will happen if these games in which one Wisconsin starter goes scoreless instead become games in which every Wisconsin starter scores at least six or seven points. Yes, it would be great if Wisconsin’s second-leading scorer could post 15 points on most nights, and yes, it would be great if Wisconsin could generate three or four double-figure scorers with more regularity. Yet, those are “high-end” goals which refer to this team’s ceiling, and the best possible iterations of each player.
Wisconsin can also improve by reaching more “low-end” goals which refer to raising this team’s floor and improving the minimum standards for each player in each game. Keep that in mind as this season continues.