Wisconsin Basketball’s season hangs in balance after Johnny Davis’ injury

With an outright Big Ten title on the line in their regular-season finalé on Sunday afternoon, the Wisconsin Basketball team had an embarrassing loss against last-placed Nebraska. Even worse, Johnny Davis exited in the second half with a lower-body injury and never returned.

Needing just one victory to secure the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament title, the Badgers were unable to get the job done. They fell behind early, trailing 10-3 just three and a half minutes into the game. They trailed by double-digits for most of the first half, before making a late push to close within four at halftime.

The Badgers made another strong push in the second half, taking the lead before the first media timeout and even stretching it to nine with 5:48 to play.

Following an injury to Johnny Davis, the Wisconsin basketball team has an uncertain future based upon the health of their star player.

Unfortunately, Davis went down on a very late foul where he took an elbow to the face and had an opposing Nebraska player land on him before crashing hard to the ground. Davis was fouled first on the floor when he was tripped up driving to the basket. However, his momentum continued to carry him to the basket and a second Nebraska player came from behind to try to block the dead ball shot attempt. In doing so, Davis was landed on from behind and suffered a lower-body injury to his right leg.

Davis went back to the locker room and never returned to the game as his teammates went the final 5:48 of the game without a made field goal and blew a big lead in embarrassing fashion.

Although the result of the game was extremely disappointing, none of that will matter if Davis isn’t able to return this season. The Badgers have made a surprise run mostly on the back of Davis who has been in the thick of both the Big Ten Player of the Year and the National Player of the Year race.

At 6-foot-5, Davis is an athletic guard/wing who defends well and can guard multiple positions. He’s also a very good rebounder which is an important aspect considering Wisconsin’s bigs are soft in that area of the floor.

Most importantly, he provides a consistent scoring punch for his team. He finished the season by averaging 20 points per game while shooting 44.6 percent from the field. Davis can create his own shot on a consistent basis and make the tough baskets look easy when his team needs them the most. He’s also a closer and wants the rock in his hands in the biggest moments. There’s no doubt Wisconsin would’ve been able to finish the game successfully if he was on the court on Sunday.

Greg Gard was optimistic Davis would be fine moving forward, but it’s a tight timetable for Wisconsin. They open Big Ten Tournament play on Friday and then the NCAA tournament is the following week. That’s not a big turnaround for Davis, even if we’re talking about something like a sprained ankle.

The Badgers 2021-22 season could go out with a dud if Davis isn’t able to return to full health. Let’s hope for the best of news in the coming days as both Davis and Wisconsin need one another to propel to new heights.