FlurrySports ranks the best point guards in Wisconsin basketball history, including players throughout the program’s entire history.
While Wisconsin basketball may not be the most historic or well-known college team over the course of their history, they have exploded onto the scene since the late 1990s. Even in such a short period of time, they have shown a knack for recruiting and developing smart players and elevating their game to the next level. With the point guard position being one of the most important on the court in terms of knowledge, it’s no surprise that Wisconsin puts a premium on playing the game the right way and has churned out some successful point guards as a result.
Even though they may not have produced the NBA talent that other schools have, they have produced some of the more impressive point guards in recent college basketball history. With that being said, let’s look at the top five best point guards in Wisconsin basketball history.
Best Point Guards in Wisconsin Basketball History
5. Brad Davison (2017-22)
11.3 PPG, 2.1 APG, 3.5 RPG, 38.3% FG, 35.9% 3PT
- 2017-2018 Big Ten All-Freshman
- 2021-2022 All Big Ten
- 2x Big Ten Champion
Brad Davison was clearly going to be on this list, given where he ranks in Wisconsin basketball history. Davison ranks in the top 10 in school history in points, assists and steals. He is also the Badgers’ all-time three-point leader. Most impressive about Davison was his durability and willingness to power through pain when he was hurt. Over his five-year career, Davison appeared in a program record 161 games and started 157 of those contests. The craziest part of that stat is that he constantly played through injury, playing through multiple shoulder dislocations that would occur in-game. Davison also deserves plenty of credit for carrying some bad Badger teams. During his five-year tenure, he was one of the few bright spots, making the NCAA Tournament just three times and going 1-3 in those appearances.
The reason Davison appears fifth on this list is that he received an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19. While he was certainly a great player for Wisconsin, there is no doubt that he benefited greatly from that extra year when it came to his rankings in individual stats in Wisconsin basketball history.
4. Bronson Koenig (2013-17)
9.9 PPG, 2 APG, 2 RPG, 41.2% FG, 38.8% 3PT
- 2016 Third Team All-Big Ten
- 2017 All-Big Ten Tournament
- 2017 Second Team All-Big Ten
- 2 Final Four Appearances
Although Bronson Koenig may not have the stats that the other players on this list have, he makes up for it in his importance, his clutch shots and his deadly three-point shooting. Koenig didn’t start until his sophomore season, but his importance was noted immediately. He averaged over 15 minutes per game in 37 appearances as a freshman. His large role wasn’t due to a lack of talent surrounding him, either, as that 2013-14 Badger team lost to Kentucky in the Final Four by just one point.
While he was later passed by Brad Davison, he left Wisconsin as the leading three-point shooter, with 270 made threes. In five years, Davison was only able to surpass that total by 30. Koenig also still holds the Wisconsin basketball record for hitting at least one three-pointer in 43 straight games. Not only did he help the Badgers reach their first championship game since 1941, but he is also well known for his infamous buzzer-beater against Xavier in the 2016 NCAA Tournament to send the Badgers to the Sweet 16.
3. Jordan Taylor (2008-12)
11.3 PPG, 3.4 APG, 3 RPG, 40.3% FG, 37.2% 3PT
- 2010-2011 Big Ten All-Defense
- 2010-2011 Consensus All-American
- 2011-2012 NCAA All-Region
- 2x All-Big Ten
After a promising freshman season where he learned and grew under the tutelage of Trevon Hughes, Jordan Taylor exploded onto the Wisconsin basketball scene in his sophomore season and never looked back. One of the more underrated players in Bo Ryan’s tenure, Taylor could put up points with the best of them. With only 53 points coming in his freshman year, Taylor still ranks 10th all-time in Wisconsin history in points (1,533). He had 21 games with 20 or more points and dropped a career-high 39 points at Indiana in 2011. Taylor’s success was groundbreaking as he was just the second Badger to earn multiple All-American honors at the time.
One of five finalists for the Bob Cousy award in 2011, Taylor took care of the basketball unlike any other. Taylor set the NCAA career record for assist-to-turnover ratio, at 3.01, and had a ratio of 3.83 as a junior. He is second in Wisconsin basketball history with 464 assists and was just the eighth player in Big Ten history to record 1,500 points, 400 rebounds and 450 assists.
2. Devin Harris (2001-04)
14.8 PPG, 3.1 APG, 4.1 RPG, 44.7% FG, 37.5% 3PT
- 2003-2004 Consensus All-American
- 2003-2004 All-Big Ten
- 2003-2004 Big Ten Player of the Year
- 2003-2004 Big Ten Tournament MVP
- 2004 All-Big Ten Tournament Team
The margins between Jordan Taylor and Devin Harris are incredibly slim, but I gave the edge to Harris because his peak was something we had never seen at the position in Wisconsin history. While he only played for three seasons, Harris’ scoring ability allowed him to amass 1,425 points, good enough for 16th in school history. He was the leader of the teams that brought a renaissance to Wisconsin basketball under Bo Ryan. If there was an award, Harris was either in contention until the very end or won it. At the time, Harris’ 2003-04 season, in which he averaged 19.5 points per game and had 624 points, was the second-most points in a single season in Wisconsin basketball history.
Even more impressive for Harris is that there was absolutely no adjustment period for him. Harris played 96 games for the Badgers and started every single one of those games. While Badger fans will always wonder what could’ve been if he had stayed his final year, there is little doubt that he would not just be the best point guard in Wisconsin history, but likely also the best Wisconsin basketball player ever.
1. Tracy Webster (1991-94)
14.4 PPG, 5.7 APG, 3.3 RPG, 42.6% FG, 41.1% 3PT
- 1991-1992 All-Big Ten Second Team
- 1992-1993 All-Big Ten Third Team
- 1992-1993 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention
- 3x Team Captain
While I do understand this will be very controversial, as many Badger fans would easily tab Devin Harris as the best point guard in Wisconsin basketball history, the honor goes to Tracy Webster for me. Webster’s accolades may not be as extensive as Harris’, but his impact on his team and in the record books to this day is maybe the most disrespected in Badger history.
If we are judging point guards, we have to look at not just points, but also playmaking ability and assists. Webster only played for the Badgers for three years but is still ranked 24th on the all-time scoring list, with 1,264 points. While his scoring average went down each subsequent season from the 17.3 points per game he averaged in 1991-92, his impact did not. Webster is Wisconsin’s career leader in assists (501) and second in steals (183). Most impressive is the fact that Webster holds the top three single-season assist totals in school history. Webster had seven double-doubles and currently holds the record for best three-point field goal percentage with a mind-boggling 49% in the 1991-92 season.
In his last year, he led Wisconsin to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 40 years and hit seven threes against Missouri in that tournament to tie the single-game school record. That isn’t his only single-game record, though, as his 13 assists in a game against Michigan in 1992 is also tied for first in Wisconsin basketball history. While few Badger fans give Webster the credit he deserves, his resume and stats speak for themselves.
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