Badgers – Page 220 – Syndication Server

Wisconsin wins the (ESPN BPI) National Championship: Yes, let’s recap the simulation

Wisconsin has won the ESPN BPI simulated National Championship!.
When coronavirus halted the 2019-20 NCAA season, it left a never-ending list of “what-ifs”.
With the BPI simulator, which is a tool that combines stats to predict the outcome of two teams going head-to-head, we got answers.
ESPN’s simulation went mega-specific on this one and said that D’Mitrik Trice hit a game-winning three at the buzzer to send the Badgers to glory

Wisconsin wins the (ESPN BPI) National Championship: Yes, let’s recap the simulation

Ten Badger Moments: Aleem Ford finds his rhythm

In this series, I want to look back on the memorable moments that defined the 2019-20 Badgers. This will not be a top-10 ranking of the best moments of the season from 10-1. Instead, I will go chronologically through the year and find ten moments that made 2019-20 unforgettable for Wisconsin basketball. Each moment will be accompanied by a word that describes this 2019-20 Badger basketball team, and in this fourth installment, that word is balance.

Wisconsin’s offense was as balanced as you could find throughout the entire country. The stat that always impresses me most about the Badger February win streak is that through the first five wins, five different Badgers led the team in scoring; and none of those five players were UW’s leading scorer Nate Reuvers.

On February 18th against Purdue, that leading scorer was none other than Aleem Ford. There were no doubt some dark times, especially early in the year, for the junior swingman. The first time Wisconsin met Michigan State in mid-January, Ford played a total of six minutes and only attempted one shot. Fast forward about a month? The Georgia native is playing the most confident basketball of his career. The Badgers used that confidence to get redemption on a Purdue team that beat the doors off of UW at Mackey Arena.

NCAA Basketball: Purdue at Wisconsin — Feb 18, 2020; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Purdue Boilermakers center Matt Haarms (32) defends a shot from Wisconsin Badgers forward Aleem Ford (2) during the first half at the Kohl Center. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports

Ford had a career-high 19 points against the Boilermakers, and shot 5-8 from distance. UW was able to hold off a late Purdue run and win it 69-65 to mark their third-straight victory at the time. Thanks to Ford’s shooting, balanced offense, and excellent free-throw shooting down the stretch Wisconsin closed it out at the Kohl Center. Throughout February and into March, Aleem Ford was a brand new player offensively. The 6-8 sharpshooter had found his range. Badger fans will certainly look forward to seeing what he brings in his senior campaign.

Wisconsin wins the (ESPN BPI) National Championship: Yes, let’s recap the simulation

Wisconsin has won the ESPN BPI simulated National Championship! I genuinely am wondering: Is this a good thing? Or does this just add to the never-ending list of “what-ifs” that the entire nation of college basketball was left with when the season …

When coronavirus halted the 2019-20 NCAA season, seniors were left without their final chapter, coaches were left wondering how March would have treated their squads, and yes, we went to data analytics to answer the unanswerable questions. I have seen people playing out the NCAA tournament on College Hoops 2K8 (a great quarantine purchase), simulating the NBA draft through NBA 2k20, and using different types of data models to determine outcomes in a tournament that, in all honesty, has an unquantifiable luck factor. Last year, Virginia’s national championship run was perhaps the best example of how unpredictable the madness can be. The Cavaliers not only trailed by double digits to 16-seeded Gardner Webb in the first round, but through their Elite Eight, Final Four, and National Championship games, the ‘Hoos trailed with less than 15 seconds left in all three contests.

Who really cares about how unpredictable March is, let’s trust ESPN’s BPI tool to figure out who deserves the National Championship. Per ESPN, the BPI is a tool that combines stats to predict the outcome of two teams going head-to-head. The metric includes a BPI creates respective data points for a teams offense and defense that allows two teams to be matched up in a simulated game. The Badgers had quite a bit of help on the road to the final four in ESPN’s simulation.

In the first round, the 4-seeded Badgers took care of North Texas. Then the madness begun. 12-seeded Liberty took out the 5-seed Auburn, and the Badgers handled the Flames in the second-round. Who was waiting for UW in the Sweet-16? No, not Kansas who was the number one overall seed. Upstart Marquette, who shocked the Jayhawks in round two! Was there ever any doubt? The Badgers hand Marquette the L in a tight one.

Then, it was time for sweet revenge. The Duke Blue Devils stood between Wisconsin and the Final Four. ESPN’s simulation went mega-specific on this one, and said that D’Mitrik Trice hit a game-winning three at the buzzer to send the Badgers to glory. Trice was the least bit surprised.

Sounds about right to me 🤷🏽‍♂️ https://t.co/gPyXYtjFgx

— D'Mitrik Trice (@DMitrikTrice0) March 18, 2020

This Final Four was interesting, and that’s putting it mildly. The Badgers were joined by Maryland, BYU, and Virginia. Two 4-seeds and two 6-seeds made up the last four standing. The Badgers met Maryland, and yes, you guessed it, Brad Davison hit a dagger three to send UW to the national championship game. Sound familiar?

🗣 Brad called G A M E‼️

Were you there when Brad Davison hit the game-winner vs. #17 Maryland?

Show us your view of the shot! 👇 pic.twitter.com/OtG9yGmRUO

— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) January 15, 2020

In quite possibly the biggest party school mismatch in the history of college basketball, the Badgers met fellow-cinderella BYU in the national championship game. To nobody’s surprise, Wisconsin uses balanced offense, solid defense, and a bit of magic to win the 2020 (simulated by ESPN BPI) National Championship.

Time to hang another banner at the Kohl Center!!!! Congrats @BadgerMBB we did it!!! https://t.co/bhIUXiCxrz

— Sam Dekker (@dekker) March 18, 2020

Badger Signee Johnny Davis named Wisconsin Mr. Basketball

Future Badgers just keep on winning. This morning, the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) named Johnny Davis the 2019-20 Mr. Basketball award winner in the state of Wisconsin. Davis led his La Crosse Central Red Raiders to a 20-5 mark, …

Future Badgers just keep on winning. This morning, the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) named Johnny Davis the 2019-20 Mr. Basketball award winner in the state of Wisconsin.

Davis led his La Crosse Central Red Raiders to a 20-5 mark, and a 10-2 record in conference before their postseason was cut short. The Wisconsin native averaged 27.2 points per game for a team that finished 9th in the state according to MaxPreps.com rankings. The 6-4 swingman is part of a 2020 class that features five solid pieces, including his brother Jordan Davis.

Jonathan Davis has the look and feel of a player who is ready to make an impact right away. He optimizes the word smooth, with athleticism, enough size for his position, and the ability to score at all three levels. His length creates matchup problems for smaller guards, and he is an above-average finisher at the rim. Greg Gard has a player stepping into Madison that will be ready to contribute as a freshman.

There is plenty to be excited about for the future of Wisconsin basketball, and pieces like Davis, as well as the rest of the 2020 recruiting class, are major reasons why.

Ten Badger Moments: Brad Davison has a career day at Nebraska

Ten Badger moments: Brad Davison’s career day at Nebraska

Yes, once again we feature the heart and soul of this Badger team, Brad Davison. Wisconsin basketball, and Davison for that matter, defined streaky throughout the 2019-20 season. In fact, most of the college basketball world was more streaky than they were consistent. It was a college basketball year where most nights, you did not what version of your favorite team was going to show up. For the Badgers, the best version showed up throughout February, often led by a different catalyst.

In the Badgers 81-64 route at Nebraska,Davison carried the team offensively. The UW captain tied his career-high by pouring in 30 points en route to a blowout win. A guy who could not find the range through the first few months of the season suddenly could not miss if he tried. The game was close throughout, and it was not until the second half that Wisconsin was able to pull away from the upstart Huskers. A 16-0 UW streak put the contest to bed, and the Badgers picked up a rare road win.

Davison finished 8-11 from three. Those eight made threes were a season high for the Minnesota native, and equaled the eight total threes he had made throughout his previous seven games leading up to the Nebraska clash. The win in Lincoln was just the second consecutive Badger win at the time, but it sparked a run of eight consecutive wins in February. Three of those wins came on the road. The streak made it possible for the Badgers to come from behind and grab a share of the Big Ten regular season title. Davison, like the rest of the rotation, elevated his game when it mattered most. We all wish we could see how that would have translated to March.

Does Vegas think Wisconsin Football has a chance at a National Championship?

According to Bet MGM, Wisconsin checks in at +5000 to win the 2020-21 National Championship .
The Badgers have the same odds as Michigan, Penn State, and Auburn.
Vegas sees a three-horse race for the natty between Clemson, Ohio State, and Alabama