MADISON - When Kamari McGee got the ball on the left wing with five minutes left against Michigan on Tuesday evening, he let it fly without much, if any, hesitation.

In his words, the basket looked big and his confidence was high.

"[Expletive] it, why not?" he said.

McGee would miss badly, and he reflected afterwards that he should have pulled it back out and run the offense. But the open look came on the tail end of what happened to be his best game in a Wisconsin uniform.

"It was the heat of the moment. I'm not going to lie, I probably should have pulled it out," McGee said. "In the heat of the moment I just wanted to get it up - I had just hit my shots - so I was feeling good, the basket looked big."

McGee's final stats weren't eye-popping - he finished with six points, one rebound and one assist. But on a night where Chucky Hepburn, who had hit 15 or more points in the last five games, was struggling, the output was needed.

"Pick him up, that's my brother," McGee said. "If he's down, I got to pick him up."

"Kam, he's practiced well and he's given us sparks before," head coach Greg Gard said after the win over the Wolverines. "I think it takes some of the pressure off Chucky of constantly having to facilitate things. It gives him some time to rest and think things through. Kam made the most of his opportunities and I thought he did a good job."

Coming into the game, the transfer point guard from Green Bay had averaged just 5.2 minutes per contest and scored 13 total points over 20 games. Against Michigan, he logged 14 minutes and went 3-for-4 for six points.

What stood out through all 14 minutes was a new control and poise. McGee played with pace and the offense flowed well with him out there. In the first half, the sophomore snaked around a screen from Tyler Wahl to nail a mid-range jumper on the left elbow.

Subbing in for the first time in the second half with 16 minutes to go, McGee found a groove. With 14 minutes to play, he drove to the free throw line and hit a short jumper. A minute later, he took a handoff from Carter Gilmore and drove hard for a layup without any help defense from Michigan. While McGee was running back on defense, Hepburn, his roommate and good friend, bounced up off the bench and flexed after the strong move.

"I was real happy to see that," Hepburn said. "That's my roommate, so I've been bonded with him and since the first time he stepped on to campus, I was the first player he met on the team. So to be able to see how much he's improved and him shine like that, that was a really happy moment for me."

Entering the program, the pecking order at point guard appeared to be clear with two leading the point guard position. To start the year, Isaac Lindsey and Max Klesmit shared ball handling duties with McGee whenever Hepburn took a break, which "surprised" the sophomore guard.

"No, I didn't see (McGee's) confidence waver," Hepburn said. "He just looked at it as an opportunity to get better. He didn't hang his head or anything like that, he was supportive of every one of us. I'm happy he was able to show what he's capable of."

After the game against Michigan, McGee described himself as being "all over the place" while providing a spark for the team. Being all over the place is a fair way to describe his activity, but it was by no means out of control.

"That jump, it was different," McGee said of the move from UW-Green Bay to playing with the Badgers. "It was hard for me to get used to right away, but as the season has gone on, I'm getting more and more comfortable."

The possession after attacking the basket and scoring a layup, McGee cut to the hoop and got a pass from Connor Essegian. There, he continued to roam the baseline before he found Steven Crowl for a wide open three pointer to extend the lead to six. The next time down, McGee set a solid back screen to free up Wahl under the rim. Wahl would get blocked but McGee's activity led to a good look at the basket.

Crowl and Hepburn have both seen the game slow down for the Racine (WI) native.

"It's through the roof," McGee said of his confidence. "Well, my confidence is always high, but it's definitely boosted. I feel like I'm playing at a much better pace and under control, so it's definitely going to keep going up."

Coming into the program, McGee knew what he signed up for when he elected to join Gard and the Badgers. He would slot in as the backup point guard and look to add a spark off the bench. McGee's encouraging play against the Wolverines leaves much to be excited about.

"It's progressed a lot, honestly," McGee said of his game. "From the player I was last year to the type of player I am this year, I feel like it's progressed in so many different ways and I am proud of myself for that. I feel like I don't tap myself on the back enough for that.

"I knew that would be my role coming in, so just looking forward to getting it to grow. I'm looking forward to playing side-by-side with Chucky at least one of these games. I'm trying to get that in the works, but if I got to keep doing that, I'll keep doing that. As long as we keep winning and I can create a spark, I'll be fine."

_________________________________________________

*Chat about this article in The Badgers' Den

*Check out our videos, interviews, and Q&As on our YouTube channel

*Subscribe and listen to the BadgerBlitz.com podcast (as seen on Apple, Google, Spotify and wherever you listen to podcasts)

*Follow us on Twitter: @McNamaraRivals, @TheBadgerNation, @RaulV45, @pete_brey12, @seamus_rohrer

*Like us on Facebook