December 2, 2025:
2022 Panini Chronicles Luminance Draft Picks #14 Johnny Davis
Watching Wisconsin basketball has become one of my great winter joys as of late, perhaps even more so now than during the back-to-back Final Four years. Every year we seem to be projected to finish in the bottom half of the Big Ten, and every year we manage to surpass the experts' expectations and contend for the title, in one form or another. This year, it's more of the same, but it's come with a brand new identity. In years past, we played plodding, methodical basketball, where every game it seemed to be a race to 40 would win the contest. This season, we're running and gunning, averaging over 95 ppg the first six games (before being held to a paltry 74 by TCU this past weekend). It's just enjoyable to curl up in bed, flip on the game, watch the boys play hard, the fans get into it, and at the end, I can turn over, pull up the covers, and drift off to sleep without having to drive home.
Seeing this card makes me wonder how Johnny Davis, our best player since 2015, would have fared on this team. He managed 11 minutes and 3.5 points per game, not exactly lighting it up as a former lottery pick. He's now on the Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks' G-League team. Maybe, just maybe, we'll get to see the home-state guy crack the big league roster here in Milwaukee.
No matter what, I'll keep enjoying my Badgers. College basketball is still fun in the NIL era. I don't have any real aspirations for a national championship, so some good, strong play in the conference is all I hope to see, maybe a little bit of a tournament run every few years. I don't even hate any other teams, mostly because guys don't stick around for very long. My coach hate is disappearing, too. I think Izzo is the only one left, and he's getting close to his 200th birthday. Do you have a team like this in your fandom, one where being just okay is good enough?
Yup, college basketball is still fun.
My college football team, on the other hand...
Goldy kept the axe!
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