Senior Brad Davison came to life to lead Wisconsin past North Carolina
West Lafayette, Ind. - Even during a difficult stretch at the end of conference play, Wisconsin's message was almost always positive. And during that time, there was arguably no better example of that than Brad Davison.
The group failed to find their shooting touch for much of the Big Ten season, and Davison himself endured a brutal shooting stretch where he combined to score 12 points on 4-of-19 shooting over three contests during conference play.
"We always say averages average out," Davison said prior to the second meeting with Maryland. "So if you're not shooting well that means the next game you're going to knock them down, so you can't stop shooting."
While the shooting touch didn't return the next game or in the next few contests, Davison's law of averages hit at the perfect time. Wisconsin shot 50.8 percent from the floor and 48.1 percent from deep Friday night against the Tar Heels - its best shooting night since UW stomped Louisville, 85-48, on Dec. 19.
Leading the way in the win for the Badgers was Davison, who knocked down five three-point shots en route to scoring a season-high 29 points.
"We practice with each other every day, whether it was summer, fall or during the season, so we know how talented of shooters we have, especially when we get rolling. And that's one thing with shooting is that it's very contagious, so we know how good we can be," Davison said following the win over North Carolina. "We all trust each other and we trust our shots."
Wisconsin's emotional leader, Davison had his complete repertoire working Friday night.
"He is our emotional leader. Kind of the cement between the bricks, so to speak, and the epicenter of what we do from that standpoint, but I know our guys appreciate anybody having those types of games," head coach Greg Gard said. "It's a very connected group and a very together group, so there is a lot of happiness when teammates have success."
Wisconsin, which has played much of its season without any fans in attendance, has fed off energy from the stands throughout the Big Ten, and now, NCAA tournaments. Davison gave the pro-UW crowd plenty to cheer for, including a personal 8-0 run to end the first half. The charismatic guard attributed much of his big night to their presence.
"I would say my favorite part was having fans back in the stands. Even though it was a limited amount, just the energy they bring," Davison said. "We had a student section up top, we had our family members there, we had some friends there and at the end of the day basketball is basketball, but that’s what it’s really about.
"Just super grateful to have fans in the stands because that’s what makes March, March. Yes, the basketball is great but the memories and relationships that you get with your family members, your teammates and interacting with the fans. It’s hard not to play with energy when you have fans in the stands."
For Gard, a performance like this is far from surprising. March is when legends are made and good players compete at their best. Davison, a multi-year starter, notched his first NCAA tournament win Friday night and took advantage of an opportunity that was taken away a season ago.
"Really good players have a tendency to elevate their game at this time of the year and as (Davison) mentioned, he didn’t get a chance to play in this last year when we were rolling along pretty well, so I think that added extra incentive," Gard said. "We talked all along, remember we didn’t have this last year so let’s embrace it, let’s make the most of it, let’s have fun with it and he was having some fun out there tonight along with his teammates."
