Big Ten Basketball: Projecting each team’s key player production for 2021-22

Wisconsin: Tyler Wahl and Jonathan Davis

Decrease in production: Tyler Wahl

With four of their five leading scorers no longer playing in Madison, there are not a lot of Badgers left who had success last season, in order to be less efficient this season for head coach Greg Gard. Tyler Wahl started his first game on Jan. 15, 2021, and started the final eighteen games of the season as Nate Reuvers moved to the bench, then ultimately Wahl replaced Micah Potter in the starting lineup.

Wahl’s time as a starter saw him average just two minutes more per game and average the same amount of points. Granted, this season Wahl will not be surrounded by D’Mitrik Trice (13.9 ppg), Aleem Ford (8.7 ppg), and Micah Potter (12.5 ppg) plus he will get more than four field-goal attempts Wahl, however, is not the type of player whose game is going to change enough that his five-point average will change.

Increase in production: Jonathan Davis

When you have four of your top five scorers leave, there is an opportunity for a player to step up. The Badgers averaged fewer the 67 points last season and will have difficulty reaching that average this season, but it will not be due to the lack of effort from Jonathan Davis. As a freshman, the 6’5 guard averaged twenty-four minutes and seven points in zero starts.

This season the sophomore will move into the starting line-up to form a three-guard front with returning player Brad Davison as the Badgers’ new point guard and Wake Forest transfer Jahcobi Neath. A combo-guard coming out of La Crosse Central High School, Davis has enough versatility to remain on the floor regardless of the line-up Coach Gard puts on. The security of a starting role and increased minutes will result in Davis increasing his seven points per game average.