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 third installment that adjective is clutch.
There was something about this group that had that refuse to lose mentality. Time and time again as the season wore on, the Badgers found ways to win games they had no business coming out on the right end of. Many different players, up and down the eight-man rotation, made huge plays towards the second half of the season. The most clutch individual sequence of the year? Look no further than Brad Davison against Maryland.
The Terrapins and the Badgers met at the Kohl Center on January 14th, in a game that was back and forth from the opening tip. Neither squad was able to gain much separation as the battle wore on. The first half was marked by Micah Potter, and a nearly perfect shooting display. The Ohio State transfer finished the game with 14 points on 6-7 from the field in just 13 minutes. Fans during the final stretch were questioning why Potter was not on the floor for the final 7-plus crunch-time minutes, and the Badger offense stalled as Maryland tried to put UW away. The answer, as we found out after the game, was Greg Gard feeling that his defense, especially in the high pick-and-roll, was better that night with Potter on the pine. Instead of sulking, perhaps the loudest Badger fan during the final stretch was Micah Potter, who encouraged his teammates and the Kohl Center crowd as the action went down to the wire.
With Maryland clinging to a one-point lead with only 12 seconds left, the Terps were forced to inbound from under Wisconsin’s basket. The Badgers either needed a quick steal or they would be forced to play the foul game. Enter Brad Davison. The junior captain knocked the rock off of the initial player throwing the inbounds pass, Daryl Morsell. What happened on the ensuing possession you ask? I am sure most of you remember:
What a game! 😯
Brad Davison drained the go-ahead bucket to give @BadgerMBB the win over No. 17 Maryland! 🔥pic.twitter.com/IgSGpcmu6s
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) January 15, 2020
This Badger team, because of the heart of competitors like Davison, found ways to win in the clutch. As much as we all would have loved to see them do it in March, they gave us quite the taste throughout the year.