MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard’s coaching euphemisms are expansive but carry an important meaning behind them. One of his favorites, a saying that he typically utters when talking about one of his role players, is for them to “stay ready so they don’t have to get ready.”
It may be coach speak, but they're words that Badgers junior guard Isaac Lindsey must embrace if he wants to make an impact.
“My role is similar to last year in that I have to stay ready because you never know,” Lindsey said. “Any night, somebody goes down or somebody gets into foul trouble, and I have to go in there. I try to stay ready, I stay on top of watching film, I understand the playbook, so when I get my chance, I can go in there and contribute.”
Lindsey‘s minutes have dipped this season after John Blackwell was signed and A.J. Storr joined through the transfer portal. He has played 57:50 minutes in 15 games and has struggled with his offense, something that wasn’t an issue when he scored 1,420 points and was a two-time first-team all-state selection at Mineral Point HS.
Entering Tuesday’s game against Maryland (14-12, 6-9 Big Ten), Lindsey is 4-for-13 from the floor, 1-for-7 from three-point range, and averaging 0.7 points per game.
“I am pretty comfortable and confident in myself,” Lindsey said. “I’ve been here before and proven I can play here. I get reps all the time in practice, so I’ve been building my confidence all year. Guys go down, and I’ve got to step up and fill this role.”
Staying confident will be critical if Wisconsin hopes to put its season back on track. Losing five of the last six, the Badgers (17-9, 9-6) have gone from leading the conference through the first eight Big Ten games to sitting in a three-way tie for third, three games behind first-place Purdue and 1.5 games behind second-place Illinois.
UW hasn’t suffered a “bad” loss per the NCAA’s NET rankings, all five coming in Quadrant 1 or Quadrant 2, but that doesn’t mean much to a group that has seen injuries negatively impact them for a second consecutive season.
Last year’s injuries to Tyler Wahl and Max Klesmit were certainly more drastic, removing two lynchpin starters for three games each during the early portion of conference play.
Losing two reserves may not seem to carry the same forceable impact, but the Badgers are trying to make things work without guards Kamari McGee and Blackwell.
Getting his feet wet with the program last season after transferring from Green Bay, McGee was providing a needed pop of energy before injuring his foot on January 19. He was averaging only 1.4 points in 6.8 minutes, but McGee was shooting 47.1 percent from the floor, had a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio to go with seven assists, running the offense in place of Chucky Hepburn without a noticeable drop.
Blackwell missed two games and was limited in a third with a hip injury suffered against Purdue, taking out a player who was averaging 7.9 points in 17.5 minutes and has molded himself into a key piece of a bench rotation.
He returned to practice last week and scored four points in Wisconsin’s 88-86 overtime loss at Iowa on Saturday. But after having only two days of practice in the 12 days between games, Blackwell looked a step slow and out of rhythm defensively. In his 13 minutes on the court, UW was outscored by 11 points.
McGee’s cast is off his foot, as he goes through rehab, but his target date is still more than a week away.
The shortening of the bench, combined with the length of the season on UW’s younger players has seen the bench scoring dip. Averaging 18.7 bench points through the first 18 games, outscoring the opposition in 14 of them, UW has been held to 11 points or less six times in the last eight games.
“The energy and intensity is what they bring to us,” Klesmit said. “Kam is going to come off the bench and do the same thing Chuck does. He’s going to pick up players full court, and make the other point guard’s life super difficult. We’ve missed that on both ends of the floor.”
The injuries have opened up minutes for Lindsey. Although he didn’t appear Saturday against Iowa, 28 percent of his minutes have come in his last four appearances.
Lindsey can play off or on the ball, giving him versatility that Wisconsin has tapped into. He prepares for games going against Klesmit and Hepburn in practice, figuring out how to fire off shots in rhythm against two of the better defenders in the Big Ten. He’ll continue to do that while he waits for his number to be called.
“I love Wisconsin Basketball, so I’m not the guy who is going to check out on the team,” Lindsey said. “I just want us to win. I don’t care if I play zero minutes or play a lot. It really doesn’t matter to me, which is how I stay ready. If they need me to go in and help out, that’s what I’m going to do. I love this state and this team, so I just want to help.”
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