Wisconsin basketball 2021-2022: Johnny Davis' season in review and top overall performances
In this story:
While the 2021-2022 season for the Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team did not end according to plan, the overall successes of Greg Gard's bunch should not be diminished.
After being projected to finish No. 10 in the Big Ten by the media during the preseason, the Badgers would go on to win 25 games and earn a share of the regular-season conference crown.
Led primarily by their starting five, this year's Wisconsin team was a blast to watch. Each of the starters had their moment, or in some cases moments, to shine with big performances that helped guide the team to victory.
Let's look back at the 2021-2022 season overall for Johnny Davis, and his top games from the year.
Johnny Davis
After earning minutes as a true freshman with the Badgers in 2020, and earning a gold medal as part of the FIBA Under-19 World Cup team, all eyes were on the sophomore from La Crosse heading into the 2021-2022 season.
It turns out the hype was warranted, as Davis put together one of the best seasons in Wisconsin program history. Davis earned first-team All-Big Ten honors and was recognized as the Player of the Year in the conference while leading the Badgers to a regular-season share of the Big Ten title.
Statistically, Davis averaged a team-high 19.7 points per game and also added over eight rebounds per contest.
A national first-team All American by the Associated Press, Davis is also up for the Naismith trophy given to the top player in all of college basketball and is a consensus lottery by most NBA Draft experts.
Safe to say the season was a success for Davis, though his late-season injury played a role in the team's struggles down the stretch.
Best performance: @Purdue on January 3, 2022
- Stat line: 37 points (13-of-24 shooting), 14 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, two steals
This was an easy pick for Johnny Davis. The first-team All-American absolutely went off against Purdue in early January, scoring half of the team's points in a five-point road win at Mackey Arena. Davis came up with big buckets went the team needed it most, but he also played phenomenal defense against Jaden Ivey and the Boilermakers. The way Davis dominated the game versus Purdue signaled to the rest of the conference that the Badgers were legit contenders and that he was indeed a National Player of the Year candidate.
Honorable mention: @Indiana on February 15, 2022
- Stat line: 30 points (10-of-15 shooting), 12 rebounds
You can make a pretty strong argument that this game was equally impressive based on the way that Davis finished the game for the Badgers. With Wisconsin down by five with under four minutes remaining, Davis took over with a flurry of scoring and rebounding that would ultimately lead the team to another huge road win.
