Rising In the Polls, Wisconsin Sets Sights on Big Ten Opener

MADISON, Wis. – It’s too bad the University of Wisconsin already championed the phrase “Make ‘Em Believe.” That slogan would fit perfectly for this year’s Badgers, likely the only group who believed that winning a Big Ten title in 2021-22 would be possible.

After being picked to finish 10th in the preseason writer’s poll, maybe the phrase “Make 'Em Regret” would fit better.

With a new-look starting lineup, 12 underclassmen, and enough of a veteran presence, Wisconsin (7-1) – which debuted at No.18 in the first NCAA NET rankings and moved up to No.22 in the AP poll Monday – takes a five-game winning streak into the start of Big Ten play Wednesday against Indiana (7-1) at the Kohl Center.

It’s a start that has surprised a lot of people, just not those sitting in the locker room.

“Ain’t nothing surprising about this,” guard Johnny Davis said, sternly. “Every time we step on the court, we expect to win.”

It’s not hard to understand why Wisconsin is startling “the experts.” They have stuck to their program staples of limiting turnovers and staying aggressive defensively. UW has committed 11 turnovers or less in all seven games, averaging 9.1 a game. On the other end of the court, the Badgers are forcing 13.1 turnovers a game and holding teams to a conference-best 59.1 points per game.

What’s different this season is the scoring productivity from Wisconsin’s starting lineup, a unit that combined to hang 80 points on Marquette Saturday. UW put two players over 20 points and four total in double figures for the first time in the young season.

Two players to produce are as expected. Davis – last week’s Big Ten Player of the Week – has scored 20 points four times in six outings. UW’s lone loss, a 63-48 setback to Providence, occurred when Davis missed the game with a heel injury. Senior Brad Davison – the conference’s co-player of the week this week – has put up 20 points three times this season and shot 53.6 percent from the field in UW’s last two wins at Georgia Tech and Marquette.

But unexpected is the fact that the Badgers are getting consistent production from sophomore forward Steven Crowl and freshman Chucky Hepburn. Crowl has scored in double figures four times and is tied with senior Chris Vogt with 12 offensive rebounds, while Hepburn earned his first conference freshman of the week honors after averaging 11 points in UW’s two wins. After a stat line that included 15 points, six assists and two turnovers against the Golden Eagles, Davis said the first-year point guard played like a veteran.

“He was really calm and composed,” Davis added. “Defensively he was all over them. That’s what we need.”

While beating two opponents from respected conferences is nothing to sneeze at, Wisconsin players – young and old – know about how different the Big Ten is. While only four Big Ten teams are ranked in the AP Top 25, six are ranked in KenPom’s Top 25 adjusted efficiency, including three in the top 10 of adjusted offensive efficiency.

Ranked three spots behind Wisconsin’s in KenPom rankings, the Hoosiers’ lone loss was a 112-110 double-overtime loss at Syracuse. Trayce Jackson-Davis is averaging 21.0 points and 8.6 rebounds per game and delivered a double-double (23 pts, 12 rebounds) in UW’s double-overtime win at the Kohl Center last January.

“It’s the typical Big Ten,” head coach Greg Gard said. “Obviously, Purdue looks like (it belongs) at the top. And it’s not surprising. I thought that coming into the year with what they had back … Everybody else, it is going to be a dogfight.”

To be fair, Wisconsin has rarely impressed the writers who conduct the unofficial Big Ten basketball preseason poll. The Badgers were picked to finish seventh, sixth, and sixth between 2017 and 2019 and outperformed those expectations twice, winning a share of the Big Ten title in 2019-20.

When the Badgers finally did get some notoriety, getting six first-place votes and a pick of third in the conference last year, they stumbled to a sixth-place finish with a 10-10 conference record that included no consecutive wins after January 20.

But while last year’s team had disfunction behind the scenes, this group appears ready to prove to the media panel that they’re going to be better than just Nebraska, Northwestern, Penn State, and Minnesota.

Make Them Regret.

“We’ve had a lot of big games already early this season against a lot of really good teams,” Davison said. “We’ve got a lot of big games coming up in our conference. Basketball is basketball, no matter who you are playing, and we worry about playing Wisconsin basketball.”

Davison, who averaged 23.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in Wisconsin’s two wins last week, was named the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week on Monday. He shared the award with Minnesota guard Payton Willis.

Hepburn, who had 15 points, six assists, three steals and two rebounds in an 89-76 home win over Marquette, was named the Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week. Michigan State guard Max Christie also took home those honors on Monday.

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