Greg Gard praises recent play, progress of Wisconsin forward Tyler Wahl

Wisconsin got back in the win column with win over Iowa in snowy Madison on Wednesday night, helping boost their NCAA Tournament chances quite a bit in the process. Aside from the victory, another positive development for the Badgers was the continued solid play from senior forward Tyler Wahl, who set a season-high in rebounds with 14 against the Hawkeyes while adding 11 points on eight shots.

Wahl was the team’s leading scorer for most of the non-conference schedule, but was sidelined for a bit with some injuries in early January. Since returning, Wahl just hadn’t been the same and was struggling to score with at the volume and efficiency he had before missing time. At least for Wednesday night, he snapped back into his old self and put on a terrific performance.

After the game, head coach Greg Gard discussed Wahl’s reemergence, noting that he just needed to settle down and stop trying to hard to find his way offensively, and rather, let the game come to him. It’s an old coach’s trope, but there has to be some truth to it, no? At least Coach Gard believes that shift in attitude was the key for Wahl’s big night vs. Iowa.

“Tyler got his mojo going from how hard he played and the rebounds he was able to get his hands on,” said Gard. “Those things fueled what he did offensively.” It all starts with effort plays like crashing the glass and coming up with loose balls that can bleed into better offensive play.

“When you chase scoring, you will never catch it,” continued Gard. “Just go play hard. Just let the chips fall. … When you play hard, good things happen. Things fall in your lap, so to speak. And he did that. He played exceptionally hard and had a tougher assignment. He lost him a few times but he kept battling back.”

It’s tough for a player like Wahl to re-adjust after missing some time. He only missed a handful of games, but as mentioned, he was the team’s leading scorer when he exited the lineup and is now just the fourth-highest scorer in conference games for the Badgers since returning. A tough pill to swallow for a senior going from No. 1 option to third or fourth after returning from a small injury. But credit Tyler Wahl, because he’s finding a way to be impactful in a different way — on the glass and with defense while also scoring a few buckets here and there.