Tag: Johnny Davis

Three reasons why Wisconsin basketball is on a six-game winning streak

The Badgers are on a six-game winning streak over the past few weeks

Following a bounce-back performance against an Ohio State team that rattled Wisconsin in Columbus, the Badgers have now won six games in a row, with the last four coming in Big Ten play.

A team that many projected to be on the outside looking in come March has already cemented themselves as a tournament lock in mid-January.

While sophomore sensation Johnny Davis has rightfully been grabbing headlines, four Big Ten wins in as many games doesn’t just happen because of one star. It has been a team that have individually and collectively been the best versions of themselves over the past few weeks.

From Tyler Wahl’s offensive emergence, to stifling defense in crucial moments, here are three reasons why Wisconsin is one of only three Big Ten teams with five conference wins:

Johnny Davis named National Player of the Week by multiple outlets

The Badger guard earns National Player of the Week honors

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=none image=https://badgerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

After a tremendous week for Wisconsin basketball and sophomore sensation Johnny Davis, the Badgers star was named National Player of the Week by a number of outlets.

The John R. Wooden Award and Oscar Robertson Trophy named Davis their player of the week, as did ESPN and NCAA.com.

Davis helped lead Wisconsin to wins at No. 3 Purdue and at Maryland, as he led the team in scoring at 27.3 points per game. The La Crosse native also added 10 rebounds per contest throughout the two matchups.

Davis is currently fifth overall in the country in scoring at 22.3 points per game. He was also named Big Ten Player of the Week after the sensational stretch.

Johnny Davis named Co-Big Ten Player of the Week

Johnny Davis receives recognition from the conference for his massive week.

The accolades just keep rolling in for Wisconsin Badgers sophomore guard Johnny Davis.

The former La Crosse Central star was recently named the Co-Big Ten Player of the Week, alongside Illinois starting center Kofi Cockburn.

Davis helped lead the Badgers to a 3-0 record while averaging 27.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.0 block for the week against a tough slate of Big Ten opponents.

The sophomore guard’s signature performance came this past Monday when Davis scored 37 points while hauling in 14 rebounds in a victory over previously ranked No. 3 Purdue.

The 6-foot-5 guard followed that up by dropping 26 points in a win over the visiting Iowa Hawkeyes.

This is Davis’ second time being recognized as the Big Ten Player of the Week in his young career.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

Big Ten basketball does something no conference has done in the last 25 years

Big Ten hoops is doing something no conference has done in 25 years

The start of the Big Ten season and the non-conference slate as a whole has seen the stars shine. The Big Ten’s best have put together a number of statement performances, including Johnny Davis dropping 37 points in an upset win at Purdue, Kofi Cockburn torching Minnesota’s frontcourt for 29 points in a blowout win, and Keegan Murray leading Iowa to a needed home win over Maryland with a 35-point barrage.

In fact, the top tier of Big Ten performers are doing something no conference’s players have done in the last 25 seasons. Heading into Saturday’s action, the Big Ten had the top three scorers in D-1 college basketball. Murray leads the way at 24.7 points per game, with Davis and Cockburn following closely behind.

While we are nearly halfway through the college basketball regular season when looking at these scoring averages, no conference over the last quarter of a century has had the top three scorers after a minimum of two games had been played.

Top 5 individual scoring performances of the Bo Ryan & Greg Gard eras

Here, in order, are Wisconsin’s top five individual scoring performances of the Bo Ryan and Greg Gard era’s.

Monday night against Purdue, Wisconsin Badgers star guard Johnny Davis posted one of the most memorable scoring barrages in recent memory.

The sophomore guard finished with 37 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks in a 74-69 victory at Mackey Arena.

It was a top-five individual scoring performance against a team ranked in the top five, and put Davis’ name firmly in the discussion for National Player of the Year.

The La Crosse, Wisconsin, native’s historic offensive performance took me on a stroll down memory lane on other big-time individual scoring performances in program history.

So, here, in order, are the school’s top five individual scoring performances of the Bo Ryan and Greg Gard eras.

Johnny Davis named to Wooden Award midseason Top 25

The Badger star was named to the Wooden Award watch list

After leading Wisconsin to a surprise 2021 Maui Jim Maui Invitational Tournament win, having a career-night at Purdue, and helping the Badgers overachieve early in the season, Johnny Davis was named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25.

The Badger star ranks third in the country, averaging 22.3 points per game to go along with 7.2 rebounds. His 37-point barrage at Purdue set a new career-high in points as he led Wisconsin to a shocking upset.

This is Davis’ first appearance on a Wooden Award list. In all, the Big Ten conference had nine players on the Midseason Top 25 list.

Frank Kaminsky was the last Badger to take home the Wooden Award, winning it after his phenomenal 2014-15 season.

The winner of the 2022 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Wendy’s following the NCAA Tournament in April.

 

Johnny Davis joins Tim Duncan in rare college basketball company

The Badger guard did something no college basketball player has done since 1997

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyzzyj3n3jt6m7 player_id=none image=https://badgerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Johnny Davis’ career evening at Mackey Arena paced Wisconsin to a 74-69 upset win over Purdue on Monday night.

The Badger wing went head-to-head with projected NBA lottery pick Jaden Ivey on both ends, and won the battle of sensational sophomores. Davis finished with a career-high 37 points, 14 rebounds, a pair of blocks, and a pair of steals.

Davis led Wisconsin in each of those categories on the night. The Badger star accomplished a statistical feat that hasn’t been seen in college basketball since 1997. The last player to lead their team in all 5 categories and pull off a road win against an AP Top 5 team? Tim Duncan, who led Wake Forest to a win at No. 5 Maryland.

Davis sits in rare company alongside arguably the greatest power forward to ever play the game:

Johnny Davis is making a case for national player of the year

Jonathan Davis has entered the National Player of the Year discussion.

The No. 23 Wisconsin Badgers went on the road and knocked off No. 3 Purdue 74-69 at Mackey Arena for first time since January 2014.

On a night where Wisconsin’s top three post players fouled out, Badgers guard Johnny Davis found a way to put the team on his back and will UW to victory.

Johnny Davis put on one of the best individual performances by a Wisconsin Badger that I’ve seen in my lifetime – simple as that.

The La Crosse (Wisc.) native finished the game with 37 points (13-24), 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals.

The sophomore’s historic performance made him just the third Big Ten player in a little over a decade to score 35+ points and grab 10+ rebounds in a victory.

It should come as no surprise that Johnny Davis’ best individual performances of the season came against programs ranked in the KenPom top 5 (Purdue, Houston).

To put it simply, he’s risen to the occasion when it’s mattered most – and that’s what makes Davis a superstar.

With every passing week, the legend of Johnny Davis continues to grow.

At this point, Davis leaving for the NBA is looking more and more like a forgone conclusion.

Should Johnny Davis maintain his current scoring average, he would be the first Wisconsin Badgers basketball player to average 20+ points for an entire season since Michael Finely did it in 1994-1995.

UW guard Johnny Davis is a legit National Player of the Year candidate, and it’s about time he starts getting the recognition.

 

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

WATCH: Highlights from Johnny Davis’ takeover at Purdue

The Badger star takes over at Purdue

The college basketball world was in the hands of Johnny Davis on Monday night during Wisconsin’s shocking 64-59 win at Purdue. Davis took down the No. 3 Boilermakers to the tune of a career-high 37 points.

The Badger wing went 13-24 from the field, and scored 7 points in the final two minutes to seal the victory. His display of offense came in every which way, as the La Crosse native hit tough mid-range jumpers, got to the rim at will, and connected on a pair of threes.

Wisconsin basketball put together a highlight package of Davis’ incredible night and posted it on the team Twitter page. Relive one of the best single-game performances in Wisconsin basketball history:

Johnny Davis is one of two players with these stats in the last 20 years

Johnny Davis is one of two players with these stats in the last 20 years

After a miraculous performance in West Lafayette, Johnny Davis is rightfully the talk of the college basketball world.

Wisconsin’s sensational sophomore torched Purdue for a career-high 37 points and led the Badgers to a 74-69 win over the Boilermakers. This wasn’t a one-game fluke for Davis, but rather the pinnacle of what has been a phenomenal start to the year as a whole.

Statistically, the Badger wing stands nearly alone over the past two decades of NCAA D1 college basketball. After tonight’s performance, Davis is averaging at least 22 points, 7 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and less than 2 turnovers per game.

According to college basketball advanced analytics researcher Evan Miyakawa of EvanMiya.com, that puts him in rare company. In fact, over the last two decades only two NCAA D1 players have ever had those per game averages. What’s even crazier is that both play in the 2021-22 Big Ten conference. Davis is joined by Iowa’s Keegan Murray as the only other player to have that stat line.

The two will meet on Thursday at the Kohl Center when Iowa travels to Madison.