IOWA CITY, Iowa — Wisconsin was on the verge of a statement win Monday night at Iowa. Not just a statement win for the 2019-20 team, but one for the program. Little more than 24 hours since leaving Madison without Kobe King, their second-leading scorer, the Badgers led the No. 18 Hawkeyes by 12 with 7:13 left. Everything fell apart after that, though, as the Hawkeyes rallied for a 68-62 victory that had to feel like a punch to the gut on the heels of getting slapped in the face by King’s decision to stay home.

Instead of pulling through and finishing things off, and in the process proving once again that Wisconsin basketball is a collection of parts not dependent on any one player, the team was left with a two-game losing streak and to wonder what the future holds for the most electrifying guy on the roster.

“He’s back in Madison dealing with a personal matter,” coach Greg Gard said of King. “That’s all I really know or can say right now. There’s really no timeline on anything.”

Gard’s comments echoed the statement the team put out early Monday night. Earlier in the day, Jeff Potrykus of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that King was unhappy with the direction of the team, and Jim Polzin of the Wisconsin State Journal wrote that the La Crosse native is contemplating a transfer.

“I’m hoping we get him back,” guard D’Mitrik Trice said. “I hope he attends to whatever he needs to get figured out.”

Prior to Monday, King had started 19 of the 20 games Wisconsin had played this season, averaging 10.0 points per game. In the nine Big Ten games he played, he led the Badgers in scoring at 12.6 points per game and shot 52.2 percent from the floor. King thrived in 1-on-1 situations and his mid-range game was a problem for opposing teams.

It’s that success, and his obvious importance to the team’s fortunes, that make his decision to step away at this point an eye opener for fans and teammates.

“Yeah, it did, for the most part,” Trice said if they were caught off guard by King’s actions. “We weren’t really sure why and we still really don’t know why.

“Whatever he’s doing, I hope that he’s figuring it out.”

While Trice answered several questions about King’s decision, the other player made available to the media — Brad Davison — largely punted on anything to do with King.

“We didn’t necessarily know,” the junior guard said. “That’s his business.”

Davison played Monday night despite a hip injury suffered against Purdue last Friday. He wasn’t cleared to take part until earlier in the day and said this was the closest he’s been to not playing in a game in his career. Asked whether the fact King wasn’t there impacted his decision to play, Davison’s response was very telling and perhaps something to remember.

“Playing basketball, wearing the Wisconsin jersey, it’s something I do with pride,” Davison said. “Every chance you get to represent the university, play for our coach, play for my teammates, that’s something you only get 30 to 40 games a year. You don’t want to miss out on those opportunities, because it means a lot to me and it means a lot to those guys in that locker room to put on that jersey, so regardless of how you may be feeling, you want to be out there with your guys.”