MADISON- There was a lot to talk about after an impressive second half from the Badgers, and many players contributing to an 83-63 home victory for Wisconsin over McNeese State.
At the postgame press conference, I talked to Brad Davison and head coach Greg Gard. See what they had to say:
Q: McNeese State’s head coach (Heath Schroyer) mentioned how they were trying to double the post early on, which led to more open shots for you all on the perimeter. How did that give you and your teammates confidence for the second half, even when you might not have been hitting in the first half?
(Brad Davison) A: “I thought we got really good, high-quality looks in the first half, even if we weren’t knocking them down. We’ve got a lot of great shooters on this team at one time on the floor, so we’re all confident in our own shot, and we’re all confident in one another that we will get going.”
“So Nate and Aleem and Tyler, the post guys, were very unselfish to get the ball to us quick and on time. When you get passes on time and on target to good shooters, they’re going to fall. We just remained confident, and knew that they would keep coming.”
Q: Coach, you mentioned how defense can often help lead to good offense. How did one of the stretches, where the team forced six turnovers in six minutes, help lead to some of those open shots in the second half?
(Greg Gard) A: “I think any time you can score in transition, any time it is a turnover or a live ball turnover. Trevor Anderson made a great play, diving in a gap and digging for loose balls. When we are able to create live ball turnovers and run and make plays in transition, we have a lot of guys that can shoot the ball.”
“So, that puts pressure on a defense in terms of covering shooters, and as long we put pressure on the rim and make good decisions, we’ll be good. If we have something, take it, and if not, make a play so we can.”
Q: What did you like out of freshman Tyler Wahl tonight?
“Kid’s a player. He just keeps getting better and more comfortable. The offense and that stuff will come, and he stuffed his stat sheet a few games ago, but he just knows how to play. He’s versatile, he knows how to play…it’s hard for a true freshman to understand when we switch ball screens, when we don’t, when we flytrap, when we hedge, so he’s learning on the fly. He’s probably getting thrown in the fire faster than most freshmen have been, but he’s so versatile. He’ll get stronger with time, but just to be able to compete. I mentioned about the Davis twins and how they compete. If you compete, and you’re smart and can take instruction well, you will have a chance to play a lot, and Tyler has done that. You don’t have to tell him anything twice, and he’s only going to get better, because he is hungry, and he works at it.”