2021–22 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Badgers were led by seventh-year head coach Greg Gard and played their home games at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 25–8, 15–5 in Big Ten play to earn a share of the regular season championship. As the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they lost Michigan State in the quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 3 seed in the Midwest region, the school's 26th trip to the tournament. They defeated Colgate in the First Round before being upset by No. 11 seed Iowa State in the Second Round.

2021–22 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second Round
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 18
APNo. 14
Record25–8 (15–5 Big Ten)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaKohl Center
(Capacity 17,287)
Seasons
2021–22 Big Ten Conference
men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 19 Illinois 15 5   .750 23 10   .697
No. 14 Wisconsin 15 5   .750 25 8   .758
No. 10 Purdue 14 6   .700 29 8   .784
Rutgers 12 8   .600 18 14   .563
No. 16 Iowa 12 8   .600 26 10   .722
Ohio State 12 8   .600 20 12   .625
Michigan State 11 9   .550 23 13   .639
Michigan 11 9   .550 19 15   .559
Indiana 9 11   .450 21 14   .600
Maryland 7 13   .350 15 17   .469
Penn State 7 13   .350 14 17   .452
Northwestern 7 13   .350 15 16   .484
Nebraska 4 16   .200 10 22   .313
Minnesota 4 16   .200 13 17   .433
Conference tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

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In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Badgers finished the 2020–21 season 18–13, 10–10 in Big Ten play to finish tied for sixth place. They defeated Penn State in the second round of the Big Ten tournament,[1] but lost to Iowa in the quarterfinals.[2] They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, their 25th trip to the NCAA Tournament, as the No. 9 seed in the South region.[3] The Badgers defeated North Carolina[4] in the First Round before losing to eventual National champion Baylor in the Second Round.[5]

Offseason

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Departures

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All players listed as "graduated" are tentative departures unless otherwise noted. Due to COVID-19, the NCAA ruled that the 2020–21 season would not count against the college eligibility of any basketball player. Every senior in the 2020–21 season has the option to return for 2021–22.[6]

Wisconsin Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for Departure
D'Mitrik Trice 0 G 6'0" 184   Senior Huber Heights, OH Graduated
Aleem Ford 2 F 6'8" 217   Senior Lawrenceville, GA Graduated
Walt McGrory 3 G 6'3" 205 Senior Edina, MN Transferred to South Dakota
Micah Potter 11 F 6'10" 248   Senior Mentor, OH Graduated
Trevor Anderson 12 G 6'2" 200   Senior Stevens Point, WI Transferred to Valparaiso
Joe Hedstrom 32 C 7'0" 240   Sophomore Hopkins, MN Transferred to Valparaiso
Nate Reuvers 35 F 6'11" 235 Senior Lakeville, MN Graduated

Incoming transfers

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Wisconsin Incoming Transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Jahcobi Neath 0 G 6'4" 196 Junior Toronto, ON Wake Forest
Isaac Lindsey 10 G 6'4" 184 Sophomore Mineral Point, WI UNLV
Chris Vogt 33 C 7'0" 257 Graduate Student Mayfield, KY Cincinnati

2021 recruiting class

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College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Chucky Hepburn
PG
Bellevue, NE Bellevue West High School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sep 29, 2019 
Star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 81
Matthew Mors
PF
Yankton, SD Yankton High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sep 29, 2019 
Star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 80
Chris Hodges
PF
Schaumburg, IL Schaumburg High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Aug 15, 2019 
Star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 77
Markus Ilver
PF
Tallinn, Estonia Western Reserve Academy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jan 13, 2021 
Star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN grade: 80
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2021 Wisconsin Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  • "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.com. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  • "ESPN- Wisconsin Badgers Men's Basketball Recruiting". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 8, 2020.

Returning players

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On April 14, 2021 Brad Davison announced via Instagram that he is returning for the 2021–22 season his final year of eligibility.[7] In the post he would say "After taking some time to reflect, there is no place I would rather be than Madison! Being a Badger is a privilege. I am grateful for one last ride with my coaches and teammates this upcoming season! I would not want to go out any other way than playing in front of Badger Nation at the Kohl Center!". He is the only senior of seven from the 2020–21 season that decided to return to Wisconsin to use his last year of eligibility.

Roster

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2021–22 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Jahcobi Neath 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 196 lb (89 kg) Jr Crestwood Prep/Wake Forest Toronto, Ontario
G 1 Johnny Davis 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 194 lb (88 kg) So La Crosse Central High School La Crosse, Wisconsin
G 2 Jordan Davis 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 198 lb (90 kg) So La Crosse Central High School La Crosse, Wisconsin
G 4 Carter Higginbottom (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 193 lb (88 kg) RS Jr St. Ignatius College Prep (IL) Chicago, Illinois
F 5 Tyler Wahl 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 221 lb (100 kg) Jr North High School Lakeville, Minnesota
G 10 Isaac Lindsey (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 184 lb (83 kg) So Mineral Point High School/UNLV Mineral Point, Wisconsin
G 11 Lorne Bowman II 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr St. Mary's High School Detroit, Michigan
G 13 Justin Taphorn (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 208 lb (94 kg) So Perkin High School Pekin, Illinois
F 14 Carter Gilmore 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 224 lb (102 kg) So Arrowhead High School Hartland, Wisconsin
F 20 Ben Carlson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 226 lb (103 kg) So East Ridge High School Woodbury, Minnesota
F 21 Chris Hodges   6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 239 lb (108 kg) Fr Schaumburg High School Schaumburg, Illinois
F 22 Steven Crowl 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 234 lb (106 kg) So Eastview High School Eagan, Minnesota
G 23 Chucky Hepburn 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 211 lb (96 kg) Fr Bellevue West High School Omaha, Nebraska
F 32 Matthew Mors   6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 241 lb (109 kg) Fr Yankton High School Yankton, South Dakota
C 33 Chris Vogt 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 257 lb (117 kg) GS Graves County High School/Cincinnati Mayfield, Kentucky
G 34 Brad Davison 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) GS Maple Grove High School Maple Grove, Minnesota
F 35 Markus Ilver 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 219 lb (99 kg) Fr Western Reserve Academy Tallinn, Estonia
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 29, 2021*
6:00 p.m., BTN+
Wisconsin–Whitewater W 76–50 
 18  Crowl   7  Tied   4  Hepburn  Kohl Center (15,997)
Madison, WI
Regular season
November 9, 2021*
7:00 p.m., BTN+
St. Francis Brooklyn W 81–58  1–0
 15  Jon. Davis   9  Vogt   5  Jon. Davis  Kohl Center (15,735)
Madison, WI
November 12, 2021*
7:00 p.m., BTN+
Green Bay W 72–34  2–0
 18  Crowl   7  Tied   2  Tied  Kohl Center (16,005)
Madison, WI
November 15, 2021*
8:00 p.m., FS1
Providence
Gavitt Tipoff Games
L 58–63  2–1
 25  Davison   7  Davison   2  Tied  Kohl Center (15,773)
Madison, WI
November 22, 2021*
1:00 p.m., ESPN2
vs. Texas A&M
Maui Invitational quarterfinal
W 69–58  3–1
 21  Jon. Davis   9  Jon. Davis   3  Davison  Michelob Ultra Arena 
Paradise, NV
November 23, 2021*
4:00 p.m., ESPN
vs. No. 12 Houston
Maui Invitational semifinal
W 65–63  4–1
 30  Jon. Davis   7  Wahl   3  Hepburn  Michelob Ultra Arena 
Paradise, NV
November 24, 2021*
4:00 p.m., ESPN
vs. Saint Mary's
Maui Invitational championship
W 61–55  5–1
 20  Jon. Davis   7  Tied   1  Tied  Michelob Ultra Arena (2,901)
Paradise, NV
December 1, 2021*
8:15 p.m., ESPN2
No. 23 at Georgia Tech
ACC–Big Ten Challenge
W 70–66  6–1
 27  Davison   6  Tied   5  Jon. Davis  McCamish Pavilion (6,302)
Atlanta, GA
December 4, 2021*
11:30 a.m., FOX
No. 23 Marquette
Rivalry
W 89–76  7–1
 25  Jon. Davis   8  Crowl   6  Hepburn  Kohl Center (17,287)
Madison, WI
December 8, 2021
6:00 p.m., BTN
No. 22 Indiana W 64–59  8–1
(1–0)
 23  Jon. Davis   12  Wahl   3  Tied  Kohl Center (16,013)
Madison, WI
December 11, 2021
11:00 a.m., BTN
No. 22 at No. 21 Ohio State L 55–73  8–2
(1–1)
 24  Jon. Davis   7  Jon. Davis   3  Jon. Davis  Value City Arena (13,856)
Columbus, OH
December 15, 2021*
7:00 p.m., BTN
Nicholls W 71–68  9–2
 19  Davison   7  Neath   2  Tied  Kohl Center (15,752)
Madison, WI
December 23, 2021*
6:00 p.m., BTN
No. 24 Morgan State Canceled due to COVID-19 complications within the Morgan State program[8] Kohl Center 
Madison, WI
December 23, 2021*
6:00 p.m., BTN
No. 24 George Mason Canceled due to COVID-19 complications within the Wisconsin program[9] Kohl Center 
Madison, WI
December 29, 2021*
7:00 p.m., BTN
No. 24 Illinois State W 89–85  10–2
 21  Crowl   11  Jon. Davis   4  Tied  Kohl Center (15,718)
Madison, WI
January 3, 2022
6:00 p.m., BTN
No. 23 at No. 3 Purdue W 74–69  11–2
(2–1)
 37  Jon. Davis   14  Jon. Davis   3  Tied  Mackey Arena (14,804)
West Lafayette, IN
January 6, 2022
8:00 p.m., FS1
No. 23 Iowa W 87–78  12–2
(3–1)
 26  Jon. Davis   9  Tied   5  Jon. Davis  Kohl Center (15,212)
Madison, WI
January 9, 2022
6:30 p.m., BTN
No. 23 at Maryland W 70–69  13–2
(4–1)
 21  Wahl   8  Wahl   2  Tied  Xfinity Center (10,864)
College Park, MD
January 13, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 13 No. 16 Ohio State W 78–68  14–2
(5–1)
 25  Davison   9  Jon. Davis   6  Wahl  Kohl Center (15,571)
Madison, WI
January 18, 2022
8:00 p.m., BTN
No. 8 at Northwestern W 82–76  15–2
(6–1)
 27  Jon. Davis   11  Wahl   4  Tied  Welsh–Ryan Arena (5,251)
Evanston, IL
January 21, 2022
8:00 p.m., FS1
No. 8 No. 14 Michigan State L 74–86  15–3
(6–2)
 25  Jon. Davis   5  Jon. Davis   4  Jon. Davis  Kohl Center (17,287)
Madison, WI
January 27, 2022
4:00 p.m., BTN
No. 11 at Nebraska W 73–65  16–3
(7–2)
 21  Davison   10  Wahl   4  Davison  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,385)
Lincoln, NE
January 30, 2022
12:00 p.m., BTN
No. 11 Minnesota W 66–60  17–3
(8–2)
 16  Jon. Davis   15  Jon. Davis   2  Tied  Kohl Center (17,287)
Madison, WI
February 2, 2022
8:00 p.m., BTN
No. 11 at No. 18 Illinois L 67–80  17–4
(8–3)
 22  Jon. Davis   15  Jon. Davis   2  Tied  State Farm Center (14,860)
Champaign, IL
February 5, 2022
5:00 p.m., BTN
No. 11 Penn State W 51–49  18–4
(9–3)
 13  Crowl   9  Jon. Davis   5  Crowl  Kohl Center (17,287)
Madison, WI
February 8, 2022
6:00 p.m., BTN
No. 14 at No. 17 Michigan State W 70–62  19–4
(10–3)
 25  Jon. Davis   6  Jon. Davis   3  Tied  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
February 12, 2022
1:00 p.m., FS1
No. 14 Rutgers L 65–73  19–5
(10–4)
 23  Wahl   8  Jon. Davis   3  Tied  Kohl Center (17,287)
Madison, WI
February 15, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 15 at Indiana W 74–69  20–5
(11–4)
 30  Jon. Davis   12  Jon. Davis   3  Hepburn  Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222)
Bloomington, IN
February 20, 2022
12:00 p.m., CBS
No. 15 Michigan W 77–63  21–5
(12–4)
 25  Jon. Davis   6  Tied   4  Hepburn  Kohl Center (17,287)
Madison, WI
February 23, 2022
8:00 p.m., BTN
No. 13 at Minnesota W 68–67  22–5
(13–4)
 20  Crowl   10  Wahl   3  Tied  Williams Arena (11,761)
Minneapolis, MN
February 26, 2022
5:00 p.m., BTN
No. 13 at Rutgers W 66–61  23–5
(14–4)
 19  Jon. Davis   9  Wahl   5  Hepburn  Jersey Mike's Arena (8,227)
Piscataway, NJ
March 1, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 10 No. 8 Purdue W 70–67  24–5
(15–4)
 19  Wahl   8  Jon. Davis   2  Tied  Kohl Center (17,287)
Madison, WI
March 6, 2022
1:00 p.m., BTN
No. 10 Nebraska L 73–74  24–6
(15–5)
 20  Davison   7  Tied   3  Tied  Kohl Center (17,287)
Madison, WI
Big Ten tournament
March 11, 2022
5:30 p.m., BTN
(2) No. 12 vs. (7) Michigan State
Quarterfinals
L 63–69  24–7
 23  Davison   11  Joh. Davis   4  Hepburn  Gainbridge Fieldhouse (16,415)
Indianapolis, IN
NCAA tournament
March 18, 2022*
8:50 p.m., TBS
(3 MW) No. 14 vs. (14 MW) Colgate
First Round
W 67–60  25–7
 25  Jon. Davis   9  Wahl   9  Hepburn  Fiserv Forum (17,500)
Milwaukee, WI
March 20, 2022*
5:10 p.m., TNT
(3 MW) No. 14 vs. (11 MW) Iowa State
Second Round
L 49–54  25–8
 17  Jon. Davis   9  Jon. Davis   4  Davison  Fiserv Forum (17,500)
Milwaukee, WI
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Source[10]

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP2322RV2424231381111141513101214Not released
Coaches—^2117RV242323138111114161210121418

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.

Player statistics

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Individual player statistics (Through 2021–22 season)[11]
Minutes Scoring Total FGs 3-point FGs Free Throws Rebounds
Player GP GS Tot Avg Pts Avg FG FGA Pct 3FG 3FA Pct FT FTA Pct Off Def Tot Avg A TO Blk Stl PF
Davis, Johnny 31 31 1061 34.2 612 19.7 210 492 .427 37 121 .306 155 196 .791 41 214 255 8.2 66 71 23 36 71
Davison, Brad 33 33 1136 34.4 464 14.1 139 362 .384 78 225 .347 108 125 .864 11 121 132 4.0 69 29 0 28 79
Wahl, Tyler 32 32 796 30.5 366 11.4 145 281 .516 6 37 .162 70 100 .700 52 137 189 5.9 49 52 25 37 80
Crowl, Steven 33 33 836 25.3 290 8.8 114 230 .496 26 82 .317 36 45 .800 48 96 144 4.4 48 31 9 9 84
Hepburn, Chucky 33 33 1022 31.0 262 7.9 92 237 .388 39 112 .348 39 56 .696 7 63 70 2.1 77 39 5 36 70
Bowman II, Lorne 22 0 228 10.4 66 3.0 21 61 .344 12 30 .400 12 25 .480 3 21 24 1.1 11 13 0 6 24
Vogt, Chris 33 0 424 12.8 97 2.9 39 78 .500 0 1 .000 19 37 .514 51 52 103 3.1 21 18 26 11 76
Carlson, Ben 32 2 292 9.1 52 1.6 22 66 .333 1 21 .048 7 13 .538 25 40 65 2.0 4 10 1 2 17
Neath, Jahcobi 23 1 224 9.7 37 1.6 11 43 .256 4 18 .222 11 15 .733 9 25 34 1.5 8 6 1 4 13
Davis, Jordan 27 0 175 6.5 35 1.3 13 40 .325 8 28 .286 1 3 .333 9 15 24 0.9 4 6 3 4 19
Gilmore, Carter 22 0 173 7.9 19 0.9 7 27 .259 1 13 .077 4 7 .571 6 16 22 1.0 8 2 4 2 20
Ilver, Markus 8 0 29 3.6 5 0.6 1 8 .125 0 5 .000 3 4 .750 1 3 4 0.5 0 2 0 0 7
Lindsey, Isaac 6 0 13 2.2 3 0.5 1 5 .200 1 3 .333 0 0 - 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
Higginbottom, Carter 6 0 6 1.0 0 0.0 0 1 .000 0 0 .- 0 0 - 0 0 0 0.0 0 2 0 0 2
Taphorn, Justin 4 0 5 1.3 0 0.0 0 0 .- 0 0 .- 0 0 - 0 0 0 0.0 0 1 0 0 0
Total 33 - 6600 - 2308 69.9 815 1931 .422 213 696 .306 465 626 .743 308 848 1156 35.0 365 287 97 175 554
Opponents 33 - 6600 - 2177 66.0 813 1870 .435 204 628 .325 347 508 .683 274 876 1150 34.8 381 377 109 155 624
Legend
  GP  Games played   GS  Games started  Avg  Average per game
  FG  Field-goals made  FGA  Field-goal attempts  Off  Offensive rebounds
 Def  Defensive rebounds   A  Assists   TO Turnovers
 Blk  Blocks  Stl  Steals  High  Team high

References

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  1. ^ "Penn State Hoops Falls In Big Ten tournament To Wisconsin 75-74 Despite Heroic Comeback". Onward State. March 12, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  2. ^ Brew, Tom. "Big Ten: Iowa Beats Wisconsin Again, Will Meet Illinois in Semifinals". Sports Illustrated Indiana Hoosiers News, Analysis and More. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  3. ^ Marotta, Karley (March 14, 2021). "Wisconsin receives 9 seed and will play North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament". WKOW. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  4. ^ "Wisconsin vs. North Carolina - Game Recap - March 19, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  5. ^ "Wisconsin vs. Baylor - Game Recap - March 21, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  6. ^ "DI Council extends eligibility for winter sport student-athletes". ncaa.org. October 14, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  7. ^ "Davison to Return to Wisconsin in 2021-22". uwbadgers.com. April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  8. ^ "Badgers looking for new opponent after Morgan State unable to play". uwbadgers.com. December 20, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  9. ^ "Wisconsin men's basketball game called off". uwbadgers.com. December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  10. ^ "2021–22 Men's Basketball Schedule". uwbadgers.com. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  11. ^ "MBB_2020-21_Cumulative_Stats (PDF)" (PDF). Wisconsin Badgers. Retrieved December 28, 2021.