MADISON, Wis. – It was either an answer rooted in gamesmanship or pure modesty.
In a roundtable with reporters this week prior to their Friday NCAA Tournament opener, Wisconsin junior Tyler Wahl was asked if he would be willing to give a scouting report of his offensive and defensive skills to prepare someone to play him.
“A little bit of everything, honestly,” he answered, smiling. “That’s pretty much it.”
It sounds simple enough, but the junior forward from Lakeville, Minnesota, is massively underselling the impact he has made this season for the University of Wisconsin.
Wahl has built himself into the roster's most versatile defender, able to take on the assignment of trying to slow an All-American guard or outmuscle a taller post player. Entering No.3 Wisconsin’s game against No.14 Colgate at Fiserv Forum, Wahl is tied for the team lead in both blocks (24) and steals (35).
As the season went on, Wahl’s offense became the story. In the last 20 games, Wahl reached double figures in scoring 16 times and is now averaging 11.2 points per game.
He has won games with his timely shooting (game-winning shot vs. Penn State), with his overall scoring (team-high 19 points in the Big Ten-clinching win over Purdue), and his defender (late-game blocks against Indiana).
“He’s grown immensely in almost every area of the game,” senior guard Brad Davison said of Wahl. “Physically he’s gotten bigger, stronger, and faster, but (also) mentally, his confidence level and his desire. When he was a freshman, he just wanted to make an impact, diving on the floor, taking charges, doing all those little things to help our team win. Now that he’s gotten older, he’s a huge offensive weapon for us, and he still does all those intangible things that make him a great teammate and a winner.”
Just as important as those on-court traits, Wahl's development into a leader early in the offseason was timely. Wisconsin (24-7) entered this season after a mass exodus of seniors choose not to return, leaving the Badgers with only Davison representing the senior class and Wahl the only junior.
His numbers were meager at that point, coming off a sophomore season where he averaged 5.2 points and 4.3 rebounds, but head coach Greg Gard saw moxie with him during a spring weight-room session that told a different story.
“Just watching Tyler and listening to Tyler and talking to Tyler, you know what? We’ve got an older guy that has the right things in mind and has the right plan and wants to bring these guys together,” Gard recalled. “It just kept picking up steam. It picked up momentum as we went through the summer.”
Wahl’s impact was seen earlier this season after suffering an ankle injury in a late January win at Northwestern. He missed the next game against Michigan State and his absence contributed to the Spartans scoring 12 second-chance points off 11 offensive rebounds and holding a 21-2 advantage in fast-break points.
He played in the rematch two weeks later and the Spartans had half as many second-chance points and only eight fast-break points.
Wahl hasn’t discussed his ankle injury much but said his recent uptick in steals (14 in the last four games) coincides with his leg returning to 100 percent.
“I’m back to flying around, doing the things I usually do,” he said.
Wahl’s play has caused opposing defenses to react to him differently. In the second half against Purdue, the Boilermakers put 7-4 center Zach Edey on Wahl in the low post. Utilizing his skillset, Wahl won the matchup with his footwork and ability to finish at the rim. When teams have started doubling him, Wahl has used his court vision to make the extra pass. He’s registered at least one assist in the last 10 games.
How Wisconsin utilizes Wahl will be crucial to a sustained tournament run. When the Badgers lost to Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament, poor ball movement made it easy for the Spartans to squeeze driving lanes, pack the floor, and send double teams.
If UW can change sides of the floor, Wahl has shown his quick decision-making has become an asset to carry the offense to victories.
“It's that time of year,” Wahl said. “Everyone knows what everyone’s game plan is and it’s basically what you are going to do to defend them. Teams have been throwing different stuff. It’s worked. It hasn’t worked. When it gets thrown at me, we know what to do. We’ll come up with a game plan for it and just play basketball.”
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