Tag: Devonte Green

Wisconsin (4-4) will look to snap its three-game losing streak on Saturday afternoon in its Big Ten opener against Indiana (8-0) in Madison.

The Badgers fell to the Hoosiers in a 75-73 double-overtime thriller in Bloomington in last season’s matchup between these programs and based on the disparity between how the two teams have performed as of late, they could be in for an uphill battle to reverse their fortunes in this one.

Wisconsin is coming off of an ugly 69-54 loss at NC State on Wednesday, while Indiana has yet to lose this season and just earned their most impressive win of the season against No. 17 Florida State on Tuesday. While Bucky has looked like a much more dangerous team at the Kohl Center than on the road so far this season, Indiana boasts a deep and talented rotation that could give Wisconsin some problems, with four players averaging over 12 points per game.

Here are the three players on the other side who Badger fans should keep a close eye on throughout tonight’s contest.

Trayce Jackson-Davis – Forward

2019 stats: 15.5 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 2.3 bpg, 65.6 FG%,

A McDonald’s All-American and the nation’s No. 30 overall recruit in the class of 2019, Jackson-Davis has lived up to the hype so far in his freshman season and looks like a potential one-and-done candidate.

The 6-9 power forward leads Indiana in both rebounds and blocks by a wide margin and is the team’s second-leading scorer. He lives near the rim and isn’t going to stretch the floor, but Jackson-Davis makes the most out of his opportunities in the paint, leading the Big Ten with a 65.6 percent field goal percentage that ranks No. 12 in the NCAA. He also gets to the line a ton, attempting more free throws than anyone else in the conference to this point in the season.

Jackson-Davis has already been named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week twice this season.

Devonte Green – Guard

2019 stats: 15.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.4 spg, 54.0 FG%, 51.9 3P%

Indiana’s leading scorer at 15.8 points per game, Green appears to have taken a major leap in his final season in Bloomington based on his play in the five contests he’s appeared in since returning from an injury that kept him out of the Hoosiers’ first three.

The senior guard has always been a fairly reliable three-point shooter throughout his career, knocking down over 40 percent of his looks from downtown as a freshman and junior. However, he has taken his reputation as a sniper to a whole new level this year, drilling 14 of 27 shots (51.9 percent)  from long range and 27 of 50 (54 percent) overall.

Green has been more than just a shotmaker as well, ranking second on the team in both assists and steals.

Justin Smith – Forward

2019 stats: 14.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.8 spg, 0.5 bpg, 57.3 FG%, 33.3 3P%

Similarly to Green, Smith has taken a big step forward for the Hoosiers this year.

The 6-7 junior swingman is averaging career-highs across the board in points, steals, rebounds, three-point percentage, and field goal percentage. Smith’s scoring average of 14.3 is the third-best on the team and is more than six points higher than his mark last season, while his rebounding average is better than every Hoosier not named Trayce Jackson-Davis.

Smith has also been one of the Big Ten’s better defenders so far, leading Indiana in steals and ranking second in the conference in that category.