Notes: Wisconsin Trying to Start Connecting Better from Three-Point Range

MILWAUKEE – In the days of scout team preparation leading into its NCAA Tournament opener tomorrow, No.3-seed Wisconsin has heard all about Colgate’s 3-point prowess, the amount it takes, the amount it makes, and the number of players who can hit them.

It’s probably to the point now where the Badgers are dealing with perimeter envy.

Not only do the Badgers have to find a way to slow the Raiders and the nation’s second-best 3-point shooting team, but they also have to find a way to make some perimeter shots of their own in what has been a season-long battle.

UW (24-7) enters the NCAA Tournament shooting 31.2 percent from 3-point range, a number that puts them 293rd in the country. The outside shooting problems have been evident in the last two games. The Badgers missed 18 3-pointers in a home loss against Nebraska, including a wide-open look by Chucky Hepburn that would have given them the lead in the final seconds.

In the UW’s 69-63 loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, the Badgers missed 17 3-pointers. UW shot 25 percent or less from deep 11 times in 2021-22 and has 10 games where it has missed at least 13 threes.

“(The 3-point shots against Michigan State) weren’t as good as we needed to be,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said. “That was shot selection in general, specifically in the first half. I thought we forced a lot of things unnecessarily. It’s making sure the ball moves, making sure we’re changing sides of the floor and we’re getting teams in close-out situations … We missed a lot of cutters that were open. That sets up everything else.”

Four players —guards Brad Davison, Johnny Davis, Hepburn, and center Steven Crowl — have accounted for 77.3 percent of the 3-pointers taken by UW this season.

Davison - UW’s all-time leader in 3-point makes – has taken and made twice as 3s (77-for-221) as the second-place Hepburn, who leads the starters in 3-point percentage (35.5). Davis is three of his last 18 from the perimeter, while Crowl hasn’t made multiple three points in the last nine games.

“The shots that we have taken were pretty good looks,” Hepburn said. “They were in the offense. We got a couple heat checks and just let it fly sometimes. Coach Gard lets us get those heat checks, so I think they are pretty good shots.”

UW has survived shooting slumps before. When Wisconsin beat Texas A&M, Houston, and Saint Mary’s in Las Vegas on three consecutive days to win the Maui Invitational, the Badgers shot a combined 29 percent from 3-point range (18 of 62). Both Houston and Saint Mary’s are five seeds in the tournament.

UW has overcome its 3-point issues by ranking first nationally in turnovers per game (8.5), by shooting 48.9 percent on 2-point shots, and making 74.2 percent of its free throws. The Badgers are averaging 110.4 points on 100 possessions, ranked 49th in the country by KenPom, but winning in the NCAA Tournament usually means hitting outside shots.

The past seven national champions have shot at least 35.5 percent from 3, including last season’s Baylor that shot 41.3 percent from the perimeter and beat the Badgers in the second round of the tournament. Baylor’s percentage was best by a champion in over 15 years and well past the average of 38.1 percent over that time.

The only champion that is comparable to Wisconsin is UConn in 2011, which ranked 237th in the nation at 32.9 percent.

Part of the 3-point outage the last several games could be due to the absence of backup guard Lorne Bowman. The redshirt freshman leads the team in 3-point shooting at 40 percent (12 of 30), but he has missed the last six games with what UW is calling a non-COVID illness and is unlikely to play this weekend. Without him, UW’s best option off the bench if Jordan Davis at 28.0 percent (7 of 25).

Bowman was averaging 10.4 minutes per game during the season, which has caused both Davison and Hepburn seeing their minutes slightly increase. With only Jahcobi Neath being a reserve point guard, UW has put Davison at the point guard position when Hepburn needs a breather.

“Early in the year when I had Chucky and Lorne (on the bench), I’d play Johnny at the one,” Gard said. “I don’t want to have to go back to that unless I have to. I think Johnny is comfortable where he’s at, but I think we can continue to mix and match.”

The one advantage Gard will have is the four media timeouts in each half are longer in the NCAA Tournament, affording him more time to rest his starters more while giving them the same amount of minutes.

Since scoring a Big Ten-high 20 points in a road victory at Minnesota, Crowl has scored a combined 24 points in four games. He has also played 24 minutes or fewer in three straight games, needing to sit early against Nebraska after a slew of turnovers and playing only five first-half minutes against Michigan State because of foul trouble.

A year after playing in only 12 games, registering a combined eight points and nine rebounds, Crowl is preparing to start his 32nd game of the season and is aware he needs to be available for more minutes.

“(I need to) try to find that line where you can be physical but not too physical to where you are fouling,’ Crowl said of the NCAA Tournament. “When I catch it in the post, try to be strong and not turn it over. I threw it away against Nebraska a couple times. Those two things are going to be big for me to stay on the floor.”

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