Tag: wisconsin badgers baskeball

Previewing No. 23 Wisconsin vs. Iowa

The nations top two leading scorers will face off when No. 23 Wisconsin takes on Iowa Thursday night at the Kohl Center.

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The No. 23 Wisconsin Badgers are fresh off of a statement victory on the road over the No. 3 Purdue Boilermakers.

On Thursday, Wisconsin will be forced to get right back to work, taking on the Iowa Hawkeyes at the Kohl Center.

Kohl Center history will be made on Thursday night when the nation’s top two leading scorers go head to head. Iowa’s Keegan Murray (24.5 ppg) and Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis (22.3 ppg) matching up will be the first time in the history of the Kohl Center that the nations top two scorers have played against one another in the building.

This game will also feature a pair of super seniors in Brad Davison and Jordan Bohannon. Bohannon joked on Tuesday that the game might have to be moved up so as not to interfere with the super seniors’ bed time.

 

The Iowa Hawkeyes have been a tough adversary for head coach Greg Gard. Over the course of his tenure he’s just 3-6 all time against Fran McCaffery.

 

Notable KenPom Rankings:

Wisconsin: 32nd ranked team, 33rd in ADJ Defense, 2nd in turnover%.

Purdue: 23rd ranked team, 3rd in ADJ Offense, 7th in Avg. Poss. Length.

 

Iowa’s projected starters:

Guard: Joe Toussaint  (5.2 ppg, 3.9 apg)

Guard: Jordan Bohannon (10.6 ppg, 1.4 apg)

Forward: Patrick McCaffery (11.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg)

Forward: Keegan Murray (24.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg)

Forward: Filip Rebraca (6.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg)

 

Wisconsin projected starters:

Guard: Chucky Hepburn (7.3 ppg, 2.2 apg)

Guard: Brad Davison (14.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg)

Guard: Johnny Davis (22.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg)

Forward: Tyler Wahl (8.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg)

Center: Steven Crowl (8.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg)

 

This is going to be a game with contrasting styles of play. Iowa plays at the 7th fastest pace of play, and is scoring 87.4 points per game – good for 2nd in the nation.

Wisconsin, on the other hand, is 216th in terms of pace of play, instead picking and choosing when to push the ball, and when to wear teams out in the half court.

The Badgers are undefeated this season when scoring 61 or more points, while losing both of the games where they failed to reach that number.

It’s also worth noting that Iowa hasn’t beaten a ranked opponent yet this season.

The Badgers and Hawkeyes tip off at 8 p.m. CT on FS1.

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Freshman G Johnny Davis brings a rare combination of ‘energy’ and ability to Wisconsin

Wisconsin has a special freshman talent in Johnny Davis

In a college basketball game, you often see a player come off the bench and provide a spark of energy that flips the matchup on its head. That’s exactly what true freshman guard Johnny Davis did for Wisconsin tonight after they fell behind 7-0 early against Loyola-Chicago. It was his intention from before he even stepped on the floor.

“I try to provide energy off the bench,” said Davis after the game. “We started off a little bit slow today, and I just try to provide energy on both ends of the floor.”

It’s more than being an energy guy, however, that the La Crosse native provides for this Badger squad. Mixed in with the experience of five senior starters is Davis’ talent, and even a casual basketball fan can watch him for a few minutes and pick out that there is something different about the way he operates on the hardwood. Davis possesses the rare combination of all-out energy that is backed up with elite talent. Did I mention he is a true freshman?

The former La Crosse Central star dazzled with 12 points off the pine to go along with five rebounds. Oh, and about providing that energy on both ends? He finished as a team-high +27 in his 23 minutes on the evening.

It wasn’t the 12 points that stood out most, but instead how he scored them. Each bucket showed off a different facet of the combo guard’s game as he comfortably knocked down his only three-point attempt of the night, smoothly finished in transition, and posted up out of the swing offense.

The euro step in transition, a move that most college players don’t make look as easy as pregame layup lines, has quickly become a patented favorite for the freshman. With this clip, also note how difficult this finish is as he elects to use his inside hand:

As a rebounder, the class of 2020 signee attacks the glass with authority, especially on the offensive end. There were multiple times tonight where Davis made the Ramblers work for a defensive rebound, and even a moment early in the first half where he drew a loose ball foul going up for a rebound.

His movements look effortless at times, whether it be in transition, as a post scorer, or especially when flying in to crash the boards. Buying into the swing offense principles, Davis has been excellent at moving without the basketball specifically with a slice cut action that has resulted in a number of post touches and buckets.

While he hasn’t started a game yet this year, Davis has done something much more valuable: finished games. Tonight, and against Marquette, the true freshman finished out the contest on the floor for head coach Greg Gard, which is the ultimate sign of trust for a young player.

Coupled with a number of senior leaders, Wisconsin basketball has a true freshman that looks like he has every opportunity to be the next Badger star. With a rare combination of energy, athleticism, and skill, the La Crosse native is ready to make noise in the Big Ten this year and in years beyond.

Five takeaways from Wisconsin’s 74-64 opening win over Eastern Illinois

The Badgers open the season 1-0

The Badgers began the 2020-2021 campaign the same way they started last season: a win at home over Eastern Illinois. Both games were a tale of two halves, but the narrative was flipped.

Wednesday night was all Wisconsin through the first 20 minutes where the Badgers locked down defensively and built a 43-20 lead at the break. The Panthers stormed back with 47 second half points and ended up falling 77-67.

With freshman making their Wisconsin debuts, a Badger team that looked completely different from one half to the next, and ultimately a 1-0 start to the year, here are five takeaways from the opening win: