A Badger-Hoosier Love Story? Brad Davison and Tyra Buss Made it Work

MADISON, Wis. – Brad Davison was all smiles as he approached a small media gathering in the hallways of Welsh-Ryan Arena.

Wisconsin had just outlasted Northwestern in a physical Big Ten road game in the middle of January, and the senior had a hand in the triumph. He was one of five players to score in double figures, putting the Badgers into first place of the Big Ten. That was part of the reason behind the smile.

The other reason meant just as much to him; his fiancée – Tyra Buss – was waiting courtside to give him a hug.

“It’s so special (she’s here),” Davison said. “It’s awesome. To see her before the game, after the game, during the game, it keeps things in perspective for me.”

Love stories in sports are not uncommon, nor are long-distance relationships, especially coming off two years of pandemic-induced isolation. But the story of Davison and Buss is unique in a way. How could Wisconsin’s all-time leader in games started and played, as well as 3-point makes, fall head over heels for Indiana’s all-time leader in scoring, steals, assists, and three other categories?

“It’s crazy how life works, I swear,” Buss said, laughing. “I don’t know if I have a great answer.”

It’s a love that is weaved through the passion for basketball. Therefore, it seems apropos that Valentine’s Day happens one day before Wisconsin (19-5, 10-5) travels to Buss’s old college to take on Indiana (16-8, 7-7) at Assembly Hall. If it wasn’t for the Hoosiers, Buss and Davison likely don’t cross paths.

A three-time first-team All-Big Ten selection, Buss was the most valuable player of Indiana’s WNIT championship team, scoring a team-high 16 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals in the championship against Virginia Tech.

“She helped lay the foundation for the success they are having now,” Davison said. “She won’t tell you, but she was a pretty incredible player.”

Davison couldn’t remember if he watched that game, but odds are he probably did. He’s a basketball junkie, willing to watch any level of the sport. With his two older sisters having played collegiately at Northern Iowa, Davison would watch women’s basketball on the Big Ten Network. That’s where he heard Buss, who began working as a color analyst shortly after graduating in 2018.

Despite the three-year-age gap, Buss knew of Davison because, as he put it, “her family is all addicted Badgers fans.” She grew up in Mt. Carmel, Ill., but her father grew up in the Wisconsin Dells area, where a lot of her extended family remain.

So, when Buss had a fan reach out to her on Instagram two summers ago to say how he loved watching her compete, compliment her commentary, but add that his Big Ten highlight was meeting Davison, she had to laugh.

“It was crazy of the timing because Brad and I had just started following each other on Instagram two or three days prior,” Buss recalled. “We hadn’t reached out to each other yet, but if it was me, I feel I would enjoy him sending this to me. I might as well just screenshot it to him and shoot my shot. He responded pretty quickly after that same day.”

It was the beginning of a courtship that turned into a romance over technology. Buss had moved on from television to start her coaching career at the University of Evansville in Indiana. To keep in touch, the two would do everything possible as it fit in their schedule: talking, text messaging, phone calls, or FaceTime.

“The more we talked, we realized we had a lot of the same morals, interests, and values,” Davison said.

Their first “date” was in the Dells with Buss’s family, a week spent outdoors and becoming comfortable with each other. Dates would continue throughout last season, usually at a convenient midpoint between their campuses, usually somewhere in central Illinois.

“We would find somewhere to eat and talk,” Buss said. “We love Panda Express but because of Illinois’ dining restrictions, we couldn’t sit down in the restaurant. We would order our food and have a date in the car, talk, and hang out. The things you do for love.”

All the adventures and vacations with each other’s families convinced Davison that Buss was his soul mate. After less than a year of dating, Davison proposed this past July in front of family and friends on the shores of Lake Delton. As he often does when celebrating a big play on the basketball court, he delivered a fist pump after she said yes.

“We were very honest with each other, saying we don’t casually date,” said Buss, as the two will get married this July just outside Madison. “If we were going to do this, date long distance, we were going to do with the intention of marriage being the final outcome … (A proposal) was something I was really looking forward to, but it definitely surprised me.”

The drives are much shorter now for the couple. Instead of three-and-a-half hours, the drive is roughly 80 minutes with Buss joining the Milwaukee coaching staff over the summer.

Call it a coincidence or not, but with Buss being a short drive away, Davison is having the best year of his career. Even with a recent shooting slump, Davison is 17th in the Big Ten in scoring (14.4) and is shooting 45.1 percent from two-point range, a 22.2 percent increase from last season. He’s also helped boost the offense when player-of-the-year candidate Johnny Davis has been held in check. In the six games Davis has been held under 19 points, Davison has averaged 14.8 points.

The pair each admit that they are each other’s biggest fan and their best sounding board. Buss has helped Davison with coaching points she’s noticed on how he can improve and words of encouragement. Davison has shared different drills and techniques that she could implement with her players.

“We do Tyra’s Tip Time or Brad’s Tip Time,” Buss said. “He’ll call me before my game and give me some tips and before his game, I’ll give him some advice or some motivation. He has such a high IQ. He knows what it takes, and what he’s done and accomplished on the court speaks for itself.”

Davison eventually wants to go into coaching, a passion that grows deeper because of Buss. While age has certainly helped shape his vision, Davison points to his fiancée for changing his life perspective, holding him accountable, and challenging him on and off the court. It's just another assist added to her gaudy stat total.

“You realize that life is a lot bigger than you,” Davison said. “There are a lot more important things out there than you and your own desires. That’s something I learned, especially being engaged. How much you value another person and how much you want to put what they want and their desires above yours. It’s been good to get outside myself and look towards others.

“I think it’s helped me become a better teammate and help me connect with our younger guys, value their opinions, value what they say. She’s helped me in so many different ways, taking some of the pressures away that a sport can put on you.”

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