Tyler Wahl was Wisconsin’s MVP.
Kobe King, Brevin Pritzl and Nate Reuvers carried Wisconsin offensively, combining for 39 of the team’s 61 points and coming through in some huge individual moments, but it was the freshman Tyler Wahl who put together the most impressive performance of the evening for the Badgers.
Wahl only had four points, but it was the impact he made everywhere else that was critical to Wisconsin’s victory, and its why Greg Gard had him on the floor in crunch time. In a game like this, every possession is precious, and he played a huge role in providing the Badgers with opportunities to stay close to the Buckeyes. He racked up seven rebounds, including five vitally important offensive boards, and also contributed three big steals and two assists.
Tyler Wahl sneaks a B1G move underneath for @BadgerMBB. pic.twitter.com/7vl8tkOjsB
— Wisconsin On BTN (@WisconsinOnBTN) January 4, 2020
However, as will often be the case throughout his career, much of Wahl’s contributions to Wisconsin’s success didn’t show up in the box score. He played fantastic defense all game long and made more hustle plays than anyone else on the court. On offense, Wahl played within himself in the system and, overall, made excellent decisions with the ball in his hands.
Wahl continues to remind me of former Badgers Josh Gasser and Joe Krabbenhoft with his ability to do a little bit of all the big things and a great deal of all the little things to help the team win, and he appears to be well on his way to putting together a similar career to those two Wisconsin greats.