Wisconsin Badgers had a new look to their starting lineup on Tuesday night as head coach Greg Gard made the switch to have freshmen Brad Davison and Aleem Ford as starters. It paid off for Wisconsin. They jumped out to an early lead in the first half and had a double-digit lead in the second. But UCLA would fight back to make this a close one down the stretch. Unfortunately for Wisconsin, UCLA had the ball last, and Aaron Holiday made a game-winning layup at the buzzer to send Wisconsin home with their third straight loss.

Davison looks comfortable as a starter
In the first five games of the season, Brad Davison continues to be a bright spot for this Badgers team. He scored 14 points in his first start and played 35 minutes which is pretty impressive considering he had a shoulder injury from last night’s game against Baylor. Add to that, he took four charges in the game which is adding to his ballyhood status with Wisconsin fans. Davison should grow into a solid point guard for Wisconsin this year and beyond. There are going to be bumps along the way, but he has the makings of a good one. He missed five threes, and if a couple of those fall, Wisconsin is a winner.

Bench support is at zero
Something to keep an eye on throughout the year is the lack of bench support for Wisconsin. Charlie Thomas IV and Alex Illikainen have shown absolutely nothing to start the season. Same goes for Andy Van Vliet. Brevin Pritzl hasn’t looked good against elite competition. Kobe King showed a little something yesterday, but that’s his first real standout game. They need to have a second unit that can give them 10 to 15 minutes a game and be productive.UCLA wore down the starters, and it showed as Wisconsin couldn’t buy a bucket late in this one.

Where are the dimes?
Wisconsin finished the game with a grand total of nine assists. Ethan Happ, their center, led the way with five of them. The other Badgers starters had a grand total of two. That’s not good. Wisconsin needs more extra passes on offense to find the open man for the bucket. Nine assists total will not win you many basketball games.

Next up
Wisconsin heads home to play the Milwaukee Panthers. Now two years ago, UWM scored a shocking upset in the Kohl Center, and they’ve already beat Iowa State this season yet I don’t think the Panthers are very good. This is a must-win for Wisconsin considering the rest of their non-conference schedule. They need to take of business on Friday night.

Charlie.