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Wisconsin Basketball: Badgers miss out on top prospect

By Christian Borman

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 12: Head coach Greg Gard of the Wisconsin Badgers looks on during the second half against the Michigan Wolverines during the Big Ten Basketball Tournament Championship game at Verizon Center on March 12, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 12: Head coach Greg Gard of the Wisconsin Badgers looks on during the second half against the Michigan Wolverines during the Big Ten Basketball Tournament Championship game at Verizon Center on March 12, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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Wisconsin misses out on a top-rated basketball target. What’s next for Greg Gard and the Badgers?

Wisconsin missed out on landing a top point guard in the 2019 class. DJ Carton released his list of final teams he is still considering. The Badgers were long considered favorites to land Carton but ultimately came up short.

I’m guessing the depth of the Badgers’ backcourt had something to do with Wisconsin falling out of Carton’s top 6. This year, freshman guard Brad Davison was forced into a lot more playing time when D’Mitrik Trice went down early in the season with a foot injury. Davison went on to have a solid season, earning a spot on the All-Big Ten Freshman Team.

Along with Davison and Trice, Trevor Anderson will add to the Wisconsin backcourt. Anderson had to sit out last season because he transferred from UW-Green Bay. Anderson showed some promise in the exhibition games he played with Wisconsin before the regular season began.

Finally, Tai Strickland is coming to the program as a part of the 2018 recruiting class. Strickland is the son of former NBA player, Rod Strickland.

With all the depth at point guard, it really shouldn’t be a surprise that Carton wanted to look for a school where he can play early. After all, the goal for these top prospects is to get to the NBA, and Wisconsin is not traditionally a one-and-done school.

Potential Replacements

With Wisconsin out of the running for Carton, who could be a  potential replacement?

According to Evan Flood from 247 Sports, the Badgers have a kept an eye on Tyrell Terry out of Minneapolis in case they missed out on Carton. Terry the 9th ranked point guard and the 83rd overall prospect in the 2019 class.

Of course, with their depth at point guard, the Badgers don’t necessarily need to replace Carton with another point guard. I think a name to keep an eye on would be Rice transfer, Malik Osborne. Osborne is a 6-8 wing who could potentially take that scholarship after sitting out a year, should he choose Wisconsin. Flood says Osborne is expected to choose between Wisconsin and Florida State.