The Wisconsin Badgers had a frustrating performance against the BYU Cougars. It was a major letdown after many fans and even players were hoping for a revenge win over the team that knocked them out of the NCAA tournament. However, the 98-70 felt more like a buzzsaw. And one player in particular was hoping to leave that game behind him: Austin Rapp.
Rapp was miserable against BYU; he couldn't shoot, couldn't rebound, and struggled in defense. It was rough. Fans were curious how he would come out in the Rady Children's Invitational against Providence. He surprised everyone by not only resetting from the previous frustrating game against BYU but actually becoming the Badgers' best player in the first half.
Austin Rapp was the best player on the court in the first half for Wisconsin vs. Providence
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Against BYU, Rapp went 0-7 from the field and 0-5 from the field with zero rebounds in a game in which he played 27 minutes. In the first half against Providence alone, he went crazy, 15 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, including a 4-8 performance from three.
Whatever Rapp did during the few days off between games, it worked. He went from being the worst player in the last game to being the best. This is the Rapp that Wisconsin needs to become the team that they are capable of being.
He has the ability to not only get in the paint, defend the rim, score in the key, but also slide outside and drop down a three-point ball. It's part of what drew Greg Gard to him in the transfer portal. He's showing against Providence how good he is capable of being.
It's good to see that he flushed the bad game against BYU and came out aggressive and ready to take over the game, helping propel Wisconsin to a huge first half against the Providence Friars.