It’s the Holiday season as we approach the end of the 2021 Calendar season. And as it pertains to NCAA Basketball, that means most of the teams are taking a bit of a break before the start of conference play.
It gives us a little time to reflect and enjoy what we’re thankful for, as Christmas is just days away. And I’m sure that there are plenty of things we’re wishing for. As an NCAA Basketball fan and observer, I’m wishing that the new covid concerns don’t wreak the next couple of months of the season.
Setting that aside, there are plenty of things fans of specific NCAA Basketball programs are wishing for in the next couple of months too. So for this piece, I’ll be taking Busting Brackets’ own top 25 power rankings of this past week and looking at what kind of “present” each of them could use for the rest of the 2021-22 season. Some will be obvious, while others needed a little more critical thinking.
25. Wisconsin Badgers – More help for Johnny Davis
The biggest reason for the Badgers’ surprising start to the season has been sophomore guard, Johnny Davis, leading the team with 20.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg, and 2.3 apg in nine games played. The 6’5 playmaker has become a surefire NBA Draft prospect and his breakout campaign has made Wisconsin a contender in the Big Ten. But the team has been heavily reliant on him, struggling to score whenever he’s not on the court.
The only other double-digit scorer on the roster in 5th-year senior Brad Davison (15.2 ppg), with no one else with more than 8.4 rpg. If they’re going to remain in the top-4 of the Big Ten, they’ll need young forwards Tyler Wahl and Steven Crowl to have an even bigger impact offensively, along with fellow forwards, Ben Carlson and Chris Vogt. Look out for freshman Chucky Hepburn (7.0 ppg) to get an even bigger role going forward, as he’s one of the few backcourt players besides Davis that can create their own offense.