[media-credit name=’Megan McCormick / The Badger Herald’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]

Something about Senior Day just doesn’t feel right.

The notion of honoring players who are indeed playing their last games in front of the home crowd is honorable and perhaps even necessary, but what about those conference tournaments and that shindig the NCAA puts on each March?

Depending who you ask, “legacy” talk is one of the most tired and overindulged in sports. But for the Wisconsin men’s basketball team, Jordan Taylor and Rob Wilson will be playing their final games in the Kohl Center Sunday afternoon against Illinois, ushering in the conclusions to two wildly different but nonetheless interesting careers at UW.

Start with Taylor. After ending his high school career at Benilde-St. Margaret’s by averaging 22.3 points and 7.1 assists per game, as well as being named the 2008 Minnesota Mr. Basketball, Taylor crossed enemy lines and accepted a scholarship at Wisconsin.

He appeared in all 33 games his freshman season, averaging 13.2 minutes of playing time and scoring 1.6 points per game. Taylor’s sophomore season saw him start 17 of the Badgers’ 33 games behind point guard Trevon Hughes, and his averages rose to 29.5 minutes, 10.0 points and 3.6 assists per game.

Once Hughes graduated following Taylor’s sophomore season, the Bloomington, Minn., native became a key contributor alongside Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil. In his junior year, Taylor bloomed into a star, averaging 18.1 points and 4.7 assists per game in 36.5 minutes per game.

He also developed a penchant for thriving in huge moments, sending a raucous flock of Badger fans storming onto the Kohl Center court after he scored 27 points (21 of which came in the second half) in Wisconsin’s 71-67 upset of then-No. 1, then-undefeated Ohio State. The Buckeyes led by as many as 15 points – with 13 minutes remaining in the game, no less – before Taylor set forth his signature Superman performance, having a hand (by way of scoring or dishing out an assist) in 34 of the Badgers’ final 39 points.

Six days earlier, Taylor had scored 30 points in an 82-56 thrashing of Michigan State. Nearly a month later, he put down 39 points in a 77-67 road victory at Indiana. The Badgers ultimately petered out in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament against Butler, but Taylor’s legacy as an all-time UW great was forged.

The question remains, though, how “great” is that legacy?

This season, Taylor’s numbers are down from last year in nearly every regard – points, assists, rebounds and all 3-point shooting percentages. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound point guard is also averaging slightly more turnovers per game (1.6, up from 1.2).

But last year, Taylor had Leuer (currently averaging 5.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in just 13.4 minutes of playing time per game for the Milwaukee Bucks) and Nankivil (playing in Germany) at his side, co-anchoring this team. This year? Ryan Evans and Jared Berggren have had nice breakout seasons as frontcourt starters, and Josh Gasser continues to be a reliable shooting guard, but the new starting five hasn’t come close to replicating the production of Leuer (18.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game) and Nankivil (9.7 and 4.2).

Collectively, these facts and statistics muddy the perception of Taylor’s legacy more than they elucidate it. Simply put, Taylor has done less with less this season, though he has kept his team – and there is no doubt that it is his team  – close to last season’s record (UW finished 23-7 overall and 13-5 in Big Ten play last year; entering Sunday, this year’s Badger team is 22-8 and 11-6, respectively).

Wilson’s UW career, meanwhile, takes significantly fewer words to recount, though it remains just as up-for-grabs as Taylor’s. After graduating from Garfield Heights High School as a second-team All-Ohio selection by The Columbus Dispatch and averaging 18 points per game in his senior year – Scout.com also had him pegged as a 4-star recruit, 25th among the 2008 class of shooting guards – Wilson committed to Wisconsin.

Wilson played in a combined 58 games his first two seasons, though he didn’t start any and averaged just 2.3 points, 1.1 rebounds and 9.2 minutes per game. However, his sophomore season totals (3.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 12.2 minutes) were all nearly double those of his freshman campaign, indicating an upward trend toward becoming a potentially solid role player.

Last season, though, Wilson played only 7.2 minutes per game and averaged just 1.6 points and 1.0 rebounds per game. This year, he’s back up to 10.2 minutes, and scores 2.9 points and grabs 1.3 rebounds per game.

More importantly, Wilson’s been one of the Badgers’ most valuable contributors off the bench lately. After being held scoreless in three of UW’s first four games in February, Wilson scored 11, nine and four points in the last three, respectively. Those 11 were critical in keeping Wisconsin close at Iowa Feb. 23, though the Badgers ultimately fell 67-66. Wilson’s nine were even more important in allowing Wisconsin to pull out a road upset at Ohio State three days later in a back-and-forth affair.

When the Fighting Illini invade the Kohl Center Sunday afternoon seeking revenge for the 67-63 win Wisconsin pulled out at Illinois Jan. 22, Wilson figures to continue seeing more minutes on the floor. Since gaining 17 minutes against Iowa, he played 21 at Ohio State and 12 against Minnesota.

Taylor, of course, will also factor heavily in determining whether UW enters the Big Ten Tournament riding a three-game winning streak.

Individually, however, both Wisconsin’s star point guard and its unheralded role player have more at stake. The duo really couldn’t be more humble, so it will likely keep their focus team-centric as March begins.

But make no mistake – lying at the end of the final month of the college basketball season are the final chapters to the UW careers of both players.

A solid showing, if not more, at the Big Ten Tournament will kickstart plenty of “legacy” talk.

A deep NCAA Tournament run? Who knows how we’ll view Taylor and Wilson once it’s all over.

Mike is a senior majoring in journalism. How do you think Jordan Taylor and Rob Wilson will be remembered as Badgers? Let him know on Twitter @mikefiammetta.