Through two games of Wisconsin basketball’s young season, the talented freshman class has already made their arrival known. Ben Carlson and Johnny Davis, the top two recruits in the class of 2020, are firmly established in Greg Gard’s rotation as key pieces off of the bench.
The 2-0 Badgers have their first real test of the season this Friday as they travel to Marquette for a rivalry renewed.
With Davis, despite only playing two games against non-conference opponents, his ability as a next-level scorer was on display. UW has a player who can create for himself, and has a ceiling as high as any freshman in the Big Ten conference.
Let’s take a look at some film from his opening game.
This sequence against Eastern Illinois perfectly summed up Davis’ potential. The true freshman makes an excellent read with Micah Potter fronting the big man. After the steal, he shows off his skill in the open floor. A nasty euro step followed by an off-hand extension finish off the window gave Davis one of the first highlights of his Badger career.
This was an exceptional sequence from Johnny Davis in his first career game. Reads Micah Potter fronting the big and anticipates the pass over the top. Then a euro-step in the open floor with the off-hand extended out….just so good #Badgers pic.twitter.com/wL3ik8I4O9
— Asher Low (@alow_33) November 29, 2020
On his first collegiate touch, Davis showed off the creativity. A shot fake gets his defender in the air, and then he makes an awkward wrong-footed floater look easy.
First career buckets for Ben Carlson and Johnny Davis. #Badgers
— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) November 26, 2020
Wisconsin has found their next shot creator in the true freshman from La Crosse.