McGee, Blackwell illustrate the importance of a healthy, feisty bench
MADISON — Amidst Wisconsin’s brutal stretch when it dropped seven of nine games, the team looked lost and had a myriad of questions to which there appeared to be no answers.
On senior night at home against Rutgers, two key pieces on Wisconsin’s bench helped answer some of those questions. Kamari McGee, in particular, was a revelation.
“I didn’t plan to come in and score as many as I did, I wasn’t thinking like that. I was just thinking about getting back to that rhythm we had before I got injured,” he said. “I try not to set high expectations. I just wanted to make sure I came in and gave a spark, a boost.”
That’s exactly what he did. McGee was a defensive spark plug exactly when the Badgers needed him to be. Oh, and poured on 11 points on 5-for-5 shooting, including 1-for-1 from downtown. The backup point guard came into the game averaging 1.4 points before his foot injury.
“(He) came back in pretty fine form, didn’t expect that,” head coach Greg Gard remarked. “He’s a pitbull. That’s what we missed; the toughness, grittiness, feistiness he brings to the floor, and it was good to see him.”
Another bench piece had a fantastic game: Wisconsin’s resident sixth man, John Blackwell. The freshman guard scored 17 points, just the third time this season he’s hit that threshold. But Blackwell did everything for the Badgers — he finished with eight rebounds, and went 9-for-10 from the free throw line.
Neither McGee nor Blackwell were healthy enough to suit up the first time Wisconsin played Rutgers, a 78-56 shellacking by the Scarlet Knights in New Jersey. That loss was the Badgers’ fourth straight, and perhaps the lowest point in Wisconsin’s late-season free fall.
Obviously, having a full complement of bench players is beneficial to any team. But on Thursday, McGee and Blackwell showed why their specific skillsets have been so dearly missed at times this season.
“Those two guys specifically…we missed that,” Gard said.
McGee’s stats on the season aren’t exactly eye-popping. But his presence is invaluable, especially on the defensive end. That’s where the guard has made a name for himself, and the added intensity he brings to the court in his minutes is huge defensively.
“I believe in that second half, I provided a great spark just on the defensive end. I wasn’t worried about the scoring,” he said. “As far as the defensive end, I feel like I helped create that spark, getting stops when needed. We’re not gonna be able to hold teams to zero, just getting those important stops, I feel like I helped bring that today.”
McGee suited up for Wisconsin’s previous three practices prior to hosting Rutgers, but he didn’t know for sure that he would play until after practice on Wednesday. According to Gard, he’s been on a “pitch count” in practice, and that carried over into the game Thursday night.
“He added a piece that we’ve been missing. He gave us another dribble-attack guy, along with Chucky and John, and he just brings energy to the floor,” Gard said. “He’s mature, he understands what this team needs. We missed his, albeit just small minutes, we missed that personality on the floor that he brings.”
Wisconsin has run with the same starting five all season. And while that consistency has surely been huge for chemistry and continuity, there are times when the action can get a little stagnant, on both ends of the court. That’s where McGee and Blackwell come in.
While McGee is largely a defensive catalyst for Wisconsin, Blackwell’s ability to take matters into his own hands and drive to the rim is huge at times when the Badgers can’t seem to get anything going offensively.
“Him being a freshman and coming in, we ask a lot of him. He responds well to whoever is talking to him. And I feel like he did great,” McGee said of Blackwell. “Looking at his numbers, I didn’t even know. He was just all over the place tonight. Just give a special shoutout to him. He’s always locked in, always gives his all and that’s what I love about John.”
There’s still a lot to improve on for the Badgers, whose first goal, a Big Ten regular season title, has slipped away. But for a team that’s looked lost in recent weeks, a feisty, explosive and finally healthy bench could be the key to get back on track at the 11th hour.
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