MADISON, Wis. – The stat sheet is indicative of how important Tyler Wahl is to the University of Wisconsin.
A preseason All-Big Ten selection, Wahl has lived up to that label by leading the 18th-ranked Badgers in points, ranking second in rebounds and blocks and third in assists and steals.
In theory, those numbers can be replaced by the players on the roster. What can’t be replaced – and what may be the most concerning for the Badgers – is Wahl has played a lot of basketball and his absence is leaving a lot of experience on the bench.
“That’s the biggest thing that comes to light,” head coach Greg Gard said Monday, referencing the three-and-a-half years of production from his senior. “That’s in a lot of ways, whether it’s something tactical on the floor, scoring, rebounding, the defensive things he does. He’s been in so many possessions, he’s played on two championship teams, he’s been in end-of-game situations. No matter what you do, you’re not going to replace that.”
Wahl injured his ankle after an awkward landing following a rebound attempt last Tuesday against Minnesota. The Badgers held on for a 66-60 victory, despite getting massively outrebounded on both ends. UW was better on the glass Saturday but suffered in other ways in its 79-69 loss at Illinois.
Wisconsin fell victim to a pair of 11-0 runs that swung the momentum, one to close the first half and another at the start of the second half that gave the Illini a 13-point lead. The cause for the defensive lapses was similar; Wisconsin being overloaded on one side of the court, losing shooters in chase situations, and trouble with switches to account for shooters in pick-and-pop situations.
The result was Illinois averaging 1.324 points per possession in the second half and forward Coleman Hawkins – a career 28.2 percent three-point shooter – going 6-for-9 from the perimeter.
“I can put (Tyler) on anybody (defensively) one through five,” Gard said. “It doesn’t matter which combination of exchanging or switching happens, I don’t have to worry about who he is on. We’ve built a lot of how we play of what he can do as the centerpiece of it.”
Wahl didn’t practice Sunday, as Gard said he spent time doing “different things” to try and heal his injured right ankle before the Badgers (11-3, 3-1 Big Ten) host Michigan State (11-4, 3-1) at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Kohl Center. He did not practice Monday and was not made available to reporters, although he no longer wore a protective walking boot.
In a slight touch of irony, Wahl didn’t play in Wisconsin’s first game against Michigan State last season due to an ankle injury. The Spartans took advantage by shooting 52.7 percent (29 of 55) and outrebounded UW, 39-20, in an 86-74 victory in Madison. The 86 points were a season-high against UW, just like the 79 points were over the weekend.
Winners of six straight, the Spartans aren’t as prolific rebounding the ball as they’ve been in past years but are sound defensively. MSU held Michigan to a 34.5 percent shooting and a season-low 53 points, the fifth time in the last six games the Spartans have held an opponent under 60.
Part of the reason Wahl is Wisconsin’s leading scorer is he leads the team in free throw attempts (61) with his ability to be aggressive in the low post.
“That’s on all of us to try to get to the paint, play off two feet, and don’t throw up any one-foot hook shots,” said forward Steven Crowl. “Hopefully that will get you to the line and we get the calls.”
One other touch of irony, Michigan State is also dealing with ankle problems as it concerns Malik Hall. Missing a month with a foot injury, Hall rolled his ankle late in the first half Saturday against the Wolverines. He stayed in the game, scored 15 points, and told reporters he won’t miss time.
Without Wahl in the lineup last year, Hall had 14 points (7-for-11) and eight rebounds. When Wahl played in the second meeting, Hall had 12 points (5-for-7) and four rebounds.
Not having Wahl will mean more time for forwards Carter Gilmore and Markus Ilver. Gilmore made his first career start in Wahl’s place and contributed four points, seven rebounds and one assist in 30 minutes. His rebounds and minutes were a career high. Ilver also had a career high in minutes (19) and finished with two points and three rebounds. He made his first shot in the low post but missed his final five attempts, including three from the perimeter.
“What other guys need to do is use their experiences to continue to get better and learn from it,” Gard said. “There’s good opportunities there for Carter, obviously he has more minutes. Markus has got more minutes, Chris (Hodges) has gotten a little bit more involved in things we’ve done in practice, specifically. We have to use those opportunities to continue to get those guys better and when Tyler does come back, hopefully we are a better, deeper team.”
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