Freshman Tyler Wahl making an impact for Wisconsin off the bench

MADISON, Wis. – In a perfect world, Tyler Wahl would likely be watching the University of Wisconsin play its home games from the last seat on the bench, soaking in teaching points and trends in a sweat suit. For road games, his view would be from hundreds of miles away on a television screen.

But with only 10 scholarship players on Wisconsin’s roster, Wahl is being thrown into the mix for a crash course in Big Ten fundamentals. The returns are early, but it appears Wisconsin has found itself a top-level student.

While Wahl’s stat line is modest, the work the freshman forward is doing as of late for Wisconsin (9-5, 2-1 Big Ten) is a big reason why the Badgers have won four straight, which includes victories in two tough venues at Tennessee and Friday at No. 5 Ohio State.

“I think it’s gone well. I have contributed well to the team so far, doing what I’ve been asked to do, and just having a great time,” Wahl said. “Every day is a different challenge, just showing up, being locked in and doing what is asked every day.”

Scoring 1,397 points in high school, Wahl was never sold before or after he signed his national letter of intent about playing early by head coach Greg Gard. All he told him was, “do what you usually do, play hard and do little things and you’ll find your way on the court.”

That plays perfectly into Wahl’s forte.

Having played in all 14 games this season, Wahl is averaging 3.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.8 steals per game. And when he picks his spots shooting, Wahl has been efficient, shooting 45.9 percent (17-37).

With an admitted weakness of strength, getting pushed around on cuts or on box outs, especially against older and/or bigger players, Wahl has latched on to junior Aleem Ford (who plays the same position as Wahl) and Brevin Pritzl (the only senior on the roster) to pick their brains on how to guard something or how to run a certain play.

“They all took me in from day one,” he said, “and every single one of them is like a brother to me.”

That was evident in Friday’s 61-57 victory over the Buckeyes. Wahl only had four points but added seven rebounds (five on the offensive glass) and two assists. He showed savviness by finding teammates off the dribble and good timing with registering three steals. Gassed down the stretch, Wahl stayed in the game and Ford – who lost minutes to Wahl – was coaching him during every timeout.

After getting pushed around against Rutgers in his second Big Ten game, Wahl and Wisconsin outscored Ohio State by 18 points when he was on the floor.

“You can tell that Big Ten basketball is different than any kind of basketball,” Wahl said. “It’s the physicality. Every four and five goes to the offensive glass.”

Wahl wasn’t a big watcher from the bench in high school, considering how much he played and how integral he was for Lakeville North (MN), so learning from a reserve role has become an invaluable tool for him.

One thing he learned from redshirt sophomore Kobe King, who himself was asked to play a significant role as a true freshman, was to dissect each game to figure out what role he has fit into.

“It goes game by game,” King said. “Sometimes you have to get the rebound and other times you have to take advantage of a mismatch and score. Looking ahead at the game and seeing matchups, just knowing what you can bring and what the team needs you to bring.”

“(I’m) just soaking all in, learning and being the best teammate I can be on the bench,” Wahl added. “(On the bench), you can kind of see what coach is talking about when you’re in there. It can be kind of hard to pick up on. Take a step back and see everything that’s happening, it’s easier to see.”

Prior to flying to Columbus, Wahl said his best game was his performance in Wisconsin’s 69-54 loss at N.C. State. It’s fair to say that memory has been replaced with a more significant one, as Wahl has settled into a real impactful role for a young UW squad.

“You see games where he’s out there hustling to get boards and games where he’s looking for his shot more and being aggressive,” King said. “He’s a smart player, and I think he’ll continue to get better.”