The months of November, December and January were all very difficult for the Wisconsin Badgers. January did represent a considerable improvement from November and December, but at the end of January, Wisconsin’s NCAA Tournament status was very much in doubt.
At the end of February, it is not.
Wisconsin has changed the equation this month, moving from a tenuous bubble position to a relatively safe spot in the NCAA Tournament field. Just another win or two will lock up a bid and enable this team to say — accurately — that it triumphed over the boatload of hardships thrown its way this season.
Why has this renaissance happened? The beauty of this story is that it transcends an individual answer. It has been “all of the above,” many sources of improvement emerging together. The things we spent a lot of time talking about earlier in the season are all going from the realm of the possible into the realm of the actual. It’s real. It’s not mere theory or conceptualization anymore; this stuff is now being enfleshed in real time.
One of the components of the Wisconsin renaissance: balanced scoring.
#Badgers have had for players in double-figure scoring in each of last three games: Davison/Potter/Trice/Reuvers at NEB; Ford/Davison/Pritzl/Reuvers vs. Purdue; and Potter/Reuvers/Pritzl/Davison vs. Rutgers.
— Jeff Potrykus (@jaypo1961) February 24, 2020
How many times did we notice earlier in the season that Wisconsin would create just two double-figure scorers in a game? It would have been real progress for UW to generate three double-figure scorers on the same game night. Now, though, as you can plainly see from the tweet above, UW is delivering four double-figure scorers to the court with consistency. The balance is notable, but what is even more newsworthy is that said balance is being sustained! It isn’t merely cropping up occasionally. It is now a constant. Accordingly, Wisconsin is scoring in the 70s. Opponents will not beat this team very often if it scores in the 70s.
It is fascinating to watch this team evolve. The Michigan State game on Feb. 1 remains a central reference point. It was as though the various players on the roster — knowing how shorthanded the Badgers were in that game — took it upon themselves not only to play their best on that day, but to make themselves better for the full stretch run of the season.
That is exactly what has happened. We will see if this renaissance can remain in evidence through March.