It is hard to believe a 30-win season could come to the type of end the Wisconsin Badgers basketball team experienced Sunday. That type of year does not come around perennially, even if you are a recruiting powerhouse, which this team is not by any means.
That important fact makes it all the more imperative the Badgers take advantage when they have a player the caliber of Alando Tucker on the roster. Instead, for some unknown reason, the Badgers' short stay in the NCAA Tournament featured more shots from point guard Kammron Taylor than their best player.
Regardless, both fine players are leaving Wisconsin, leaving a gaping hole in the team's talent core. In losing both Taylor and Tucker, the program gives up its top two scorers, leading three-point shooter, nearly half its free-throw attempts and leading total rebounder.
By extension, the Badgers lose the two players they go to in the clutch, a problem that will undoubtedly become more magnified next season. You look at the roster the Badgers will bring in next year and likely come to the realization that UW is not going to blow out opponents to the extent it did this year.
Wisconsin can possibly be a good, not great, team next year. It could certainly return to the NCAA Tournament for a seventh straight appearance under Bo Ryan. But, in order for that to happen, this team is going to need to win its fair share of close games.
Which raises my question: Who is this team going to when the game is on the line next season?
This time last year, the answer to that question could have not have been much more obvious. Tucker and Taylor were the one-two punch, and Bo Ryan didn't have to think hard about whose hands the ball was going to in crunch time.
Now, the answer is nowhere near as certain. Whereas both Tucker and Taylor had the ability to create their own shot when the defense bore down, no one who will see playing time next season comes to mind as having that knockout ability.
That's not to say that at least one of the Badgers won't develop a killer instinct.
It could be Jason Bohannon, who has certainly shown that he can shoot the ball (UW's second-best long-ball percentage with average of at least one attempt/game). Bohannon will be looking to fill Taylor's role as the team's point guard; it remains to be seen whether he can do what Kammron did against Michigan State late in the year.
It could be Michael Flowers, who we know can play lockdown defense but is less sure on the offensive end of the court. Coming back for his final collegiate year, Flowers will have many opportunities to score more and develop his game.
Lastly, Marcus Landry could break out. He'll be the best athlete in a Badger uniform, which, by definition, makes him the ablest shot creator.
Whatever happens, here's the reality UW can take into next season: winning will not come easy. And when it does come, more often than not, the clutch factor will be in play.
Jon can be reached at bortin@wisc.edu.
