Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard is trying to keep things together right now. Wisconsin just lost Kobe King to the transfer portal. And Brad Davison, Wisconsin’s catalyst, is suspended for Saturday’s game against Michigan State due to a flagrant one foul on Monday. The reason the Big Ten suspended Davison is for him being a repeat offender. The Badgers head coach took exception to this ruling and made it known on Thursday afternoon. Gard lit into the Big Ten about their ruling for Davison.

A message from head coach Greg Gard pic.twitter.com/iEKHgL1gJ3

— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) January 30, 2020

This thing is like an onion, so, let’s peel back the layers. Layer one is Gard needs to keep his locker room together. In his opinion, the move is to defend Davison with a passion. Is that the right move? Definitely. Wisconsin is teetering a bit here with back-to-back losses and a fissure in locker room with King leaving. This is a major rally the troops moment for him. The second layer involves Davison, the off-the-court guy. From everything you read or hear, the Badgers guard is a good dude when not playing basketball. Much like Grayson Allen, he cannot control himself on the court.

But here’s the problem with the passion, everyone sees through the bullshit. There is enough evidence on tape that makes Davison a dirty player. Does he fit the typical Wisconsin prototype that might endure more jeers and boos? Sure. But guys like Josh Gasser, Zach Showalter, and others were never dirty players. Davison is a dirty player, and no matter how hard he works on the court, that tag will be on him until the final game of his career. Social media has done a good job of finding those types of players. Everyone who says Davison would be a national talking point if he played for Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, or Kansas is absolutely correct.

Will Davison learn from here? I’m unsure. Allen still had issues even after being reprimanded by the ACC. And by his senior year, Coach K had to sit him as well. What’s the final outcome for Davison is unknown, but they have a massive uphill battle versus Michigan State on Saturday.

Charlie.