Wisconsin Badgers: Khalil Iverson must continue to play well

Khalil Iverson has played much better over the past four games and if the Wisconsin Badgers hope to make a run in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, they’ll need him to continue playing well.

It’s hard to believe we are at this point already, but with only two games left in the Big Ten regular season, the Wisconsin Badgers currently sit at fourth place in the standings. Wisconsin controls their own destiny and if they can hold on to that fourth place position, they will receive a double-bye in the Big Ten tournament.

It has been what I would describe as a hot and cold year for the Badgers, specifically on offense. However, over the previous four games they have gotten some unexpected offensive production from Khalil Iverson and if they hope to make a run in the NCAA tournament, he will need to continue playing at this level.

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The senior from Delaware, Ohio has always played a big role on this Wisconsin Badgers team defensively by guarding the opposing teams best player. Iverson is able to do this so effectively because he is one of the better athletes in all of the Big Ten. But in addition to his contributions on defense, Iverson has become a factor on offense the last few weeks.

Up until their game against Illinois in mid-February, Iverson was averaging 4.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and 0.9 steals. He was still playing big minutes but wasn’t making the impact that he has been as of late.

From the Illinois game through today the Wisconsin Badgers are 3-1 and Iverson has seen a big jump in most of his offensive categories. Over the four-game stretch, he’s averaged 12 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.3 steals. He’s also been incredibly efficient shooting nearly 60 percent from the floor. Now, some of this increase in production has been due to matchups, but it is still promising to see Iverson taking advantage of the situation.

In addition to Ethan Happ, the Wisconsin Badgers need another consistent player on offense. As a whole, the team struggles at the free throw line, outside shooting has been up and down, and bench scoring hasn’t been dependable. In fact, there are times when this offense can go quite cold.

Of course in the tournament, we will look for big contributions from Brad Davison and D’Mitrik Trice, but when the shots aren’t falling, which has happened quite a bit this season, they need another scoring option down low, and Iverson can provide the Badgers with just that.

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This is a typical Wisconsin Badgers team that plays fantastic defense and with that style of play, they will rarely be out of any game and do have the potential to make a Sweet Sixteen run. With that said, if they hope to do so, Iverson must continue to be a legit scoring option that can take some of the pressure off of Happ and the outside shooting.

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