Badgers Starting to Get Bigger Contributions Behind Johnny Davis
MADISON, Wis. – It was another performance that got the national talking heads buzzing.
Having already dazzled as the most valuable player of the Maui Invitational and dropping a career-high 37 points in a victory at No.3 Purdue, Wisconsin sophomore Johnny Davis delivered 25 points on 11 efficient shots, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals in a 70-63 victory at No.17 Michigan State Tuesday.
But unlike that masterful performance against the Boilermakers last month, Davis did not need to carry the burden all himself. Of the nine players who saw the floor for No.14 Wisconsin, eight of them scored and all nine delivered some type of play that created an impact.
“I think that was going to have to happen,” head coach Greg Gard said of the contributions from up and down the lineup. “We were going to have to have contributions from (everyone). And we’ve started to get more and more, even though it's maybe not eye-popping on the stat sheet. Other guys have continued to grow and do some good things.”
Wisconsin (19-4, 10-3 Big Ten) enters Saturday’s home game against Rutgers (14-8, 8-5) as an enigma. The Badgers rank 10th in the conference in points per game, 12th in opponent field goal percentage (43.4), 13th in 3-point field goal percentage (31.6), and last in field goal percentage (42.0).
Usually, the two teams that rank below the Badgers – Nebraska and Minnesota – are a combined 3-22 in conference play, yet the Badgers are tied for first place in the Big Ten and their eight Quad-1 wins are tied for the most nationally. How? Having a national player of the year candidate certainly helps, considering Davis leads the team in scoring (20.8), rebounds (8.2), assists (53), and tied for steals (27), but the Badgers are seeing a roster develop around him to alleviate some of the burdens.
Senior Brad Davison, despite a shooting skid, hit a pair of critical 3-pointers in the second half and is shooting 44.9 percent from 2-point range. Junior Tyler Wahl has developed into the Badgers’ best two-way player. Against the Spartans, the forward was active around the low block to score 11 points on 5-for-10 shooting and grabbed five rebounds. His presence held the Spartans to eight fast-break points and 41.7 percent shooting.
When he missed the first meeting against the Spartans with an ankle injury, Michigan State shot 52.7 percent, had five players in double figures, and had 21 fast-break points.
"Not only does he have three years of experience, he has the versatility at 6-8 or 6-9 to guard everybody," Gard said. "He is arguably our best defensive player or our most versatile defensive player."
UW’s two transfers - guard Jahcobi Neath and center Chris Vogt – has added a veteran voice and some contributions (two points, five rebounds, two blocks, one steal), but Gard has four rotation players going through their freshman season or first full season who have taken big leaps.
Steven Crowl had six points, four rebounds, and two assists Tuesday and has been a reliable frontcourt starter. Reserves Ben Carlson (four points, one rebound) and Lorne Bowman (three points, three rebounds) have shown improvement with their extended minutes. Then there’s the poise of point guard Chucky Hepburn, as the true freshman contributed 11 points, three assists, and three rebounds.
“I thought those two guys as freshmen point guards came in and really helped us solidify every possession for the most part and kept us in the plan we had,” Gard said.
Wisconsin’s schedule appears manageable the final three weeks of the regular season. The Badgers have more home games (four) than road (three), face one ranked team (Purdue), and play against opponents with a combined record of 33-40 in Big Ten play.
Illinois – which won the only regular-season meeting against Wisconsin Feb.2 – plays teams with a combined record of 43-40. The Boilermakers are a half-game back after getting thumped at Michigan Thursday and have six games remaining (three home/three road) against teams that are a combined 41-35.
“The season is not over yet,” Davis said. “The Big Ten season is not over yet. There’s no champion yet. We’ve got to get ready for Saturday.”
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