Wisconsin is a team that’s going to be a lot better in February than they are right now. Badgers head coach Greg Gard is still learning what he has with his young team. For him, this is a new experience, and Wisconsin’s tough non-conference schedule provides a lot of learnings. Badgers may have found something in the last 10 minutes of the game when they went on a spirited run to close the gap with Baylor. Yet the run did not finish the deal as Wisconsin dropped their second game losing 70-65

Brad Davison pushed for a starting spot
We’ll see how long Gard keeps freshman Brad Davison on the bench because he looks like a starter at this point. Davison proved to be a major part of bringing the Badgers back in the second half. He scored 13 points with 3 three-pointers plus found the open man in the zone more than one time. With D’Mitirk Trice’s early seasons struggles, it might not be a bad idea to try out Davison in the starting lineup if he can play tomorrow after having an upper body injury in this one.

Ethan Happ cannot be the only offense
Once again, Ethan Happ had a strong game leading the Badgers team in scoring with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Happ looked great down in the post and did his best as a zone-breaker in the middle. He cannot be the only one though. Wisconsin did not have one other starter in double figures, and the two others that did only played their third college basketball game.

Khalil Iverson had a rough day in the paint
Part of the reason why Happ didn’t get any support from the starters is Khalil Iverson had trouble finishing on Monday night. Iverson went 2-for-10 from the field missing seven shots in the paint including two missed dunks. Part of Iverson’s struggles could be due to the lack of size compared to what Baylor presents inside.

Next up
Wisconsin will play the third-place game against UCLA, so, they’ll have another chance to build on their resume. Wisconsin fans shouldn’t panic if the team goes on a three-game losing streak considering the competition. UCLA had some drama this season already, and they play zero defense, so, it might be a chance to spark Wisconsin’s offense.

Charlie.