BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin coach Greg Gard doesn't obsess over missed shots.
"I don't yell at guys about missing," he said. "I'll talk to them about bad shot selection. That's different. But if they have a wide-open shot and they miss, I'll say, 'Get the next one. Maybe you don't have your feet quite set. Or slow down. Maybe it's a small mechanical thing we can work on.'"
Anxiety can bring on more misses.
"When people get in that mindset — driven and motivated by the misses — that's when the wheels fall off the track and you press," he said. "You can't be a good offensive player and press. You have to play instinctually and play relaxed. When you shoot the ball, you can't be under mental stress."
Relax is the operative word for Gard (with all due respect to Aaron Rodgers who coined it).
"Sometimes you just need to relax and do other things," Gard said. "Don't worry about the shooting. Worry about, 'Am I going to the glass every time I can? Am I blocking out every time I can? Am I doing a good job screening?' Do the intangibles and let the scoring come naturally. Don't force it."
Over the last three games, the Badgers are 14-of-65 (.215) from beyond the arc. Yet, they won all three over Rutgers (overtime), Illinois and Indiana despite shooting less than 41 percent from the field. In the Big Ten, they're 7th in field goal percentage (.439) and 11th in 3-point field goal percentage (.339).
If he chooses, Gard can point to the only numbers that matter: 9-1. The first-place Badgers, winners of nine out of 10 conference games, and 16 of 17 overall, will put their seven-game winning streak on the line Thursday night at Nebraska in the only meeting of the season between these teams.
Wisconsin is 7-3 outside of the Kohl Center.
"You have to replicate home as much as possible on the road," Gard said. "The key things for a game never really change. We don't change what is going to be important for us. We worry more about us than probably we do the opponent.
"Defensively, it's what we do in transition and on the glass in minimizing runs and open-court opportunities and live-ball turnovers. Offensively, it's being as efficient as possible and trying to make sure our offense helps our defense by getting to the foul line."
The UW has averaged 28 free throw attempts to Nebraska's 16 over the last four meetings.
Cognizant of his team's recent offensive struggles, Gard said, "We need to continue to get better movement. At times, we stagnate. At times, we're depending on pounding the one source, whether it be Ethan (Happ) or Nigel (Hayes).
"We need to become more fluid in our movement and spread the floor better at times. If we could get a little burst from other people that would help. It doesn't have to be a lot. It just has to be enough to spark us in other areas."
Gard doesn't have any magic beans to get Vitto Brown out of his offensive slump (3 of his last 23 FGs). Nor does he want him dwelling on it. "It's a team-wide thing," Gard said. "And that's not to be so obsessed on whether the ball goes in to where it impacts other parts of your game."
Gard has noticed Brown has been "rushing to do well and rushing to please" which is understandable since he's a conscientious senior. But it has resulted in Brown rushing his shots. To which Gard has advised, "Slow down and do those other things well and let the scoring fall in your lap."
Might the Cornhuskers be the tonic? Consider: In a 72-61 win over Nebraska last season at the Kohl Center, Brown had 18 points (6-of-7 from the field, 3-of-3 from the arc, 3-of-4 from the line). In a 70-58 loss to the Huskers in the Big Ten tournament, he had 16 points (5-of-7, 3-of-4, 3-of-4).
Timing is everything, and the Badgers — who aren't making 3s — might be catching the Cornhuskers at a good time especially given their defensive issues on the perimeter. Michigan State and Iowa went 20-for-36 combined on 3-pointers the last two games while the Huskers were 7-for-36.
In the Big Ten, Nebraska is 14th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.455).
After starting 3-0 in conference play, including road wins at Indiana and Maryland and a double-overtime home win over Iowa, the Cornhuskers have lost seven of their last eight. During this span, their only victory was against Purdue (83-80) on Jan. 29 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The Huskers "held" Caleb Swanigan to 14 points and 14 rebounds while outscoring the Boilermakers in the paint (32-20), shooting 53 percent from beyond the arc (9-of-17) and putting four players in double figures topped by Jack McVeigh who came off the bench to score 21.
The backcourt tandem of Tai Webster and Glynn Watson had 15 and 12 points, respectively. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Webster, a senior from Auckland, New Zealand, is the team's leading scorer (18.0). Watson, a 6-foot, 175-pound sophomore from Bellwood, Illinois, is second in scoring (13.9).
"Webster and Watson are Thunder and Lightning, so to speak," Gard said. "They complement each other. Webster does it with straight-line driving and power and size. He's starting to really come into his own. Watson has got a little shake and wiggle and quickness to him."
Webster, who has been in double-figures in all 23 games, has scored 20 or more nine times. He had a career high 28 against Michigan. Besides averaging five rebounds and leading the Huskers with 94 assists, he has gotten to the free throw line (94-of-128, .734) more than any of his teammates.
Watson, who has taken the second most free throws (57-of-71, .803), has been among the steal leaders in the Big Ten all season. In league games, Watson is second (1.9) to Happ (2.7). Watson (37-of-90, .411), McVeigh (35-of-101, .347) and Webster (31-of-100, .310) are the Huskers' 3-point threats.
In scoring 34 points against Iowa (Jan. 5), Watson made 7-of-8 from the arc. In Sunday's rematch at Iowa City, Watson didn't start because of a groin injury and was limited to just three points (0-of-4 FGs, 3-of-4 FTs) in 18 minutes. McVeigh, a 6-8 sophomore from Australia, started in his place.
Injuries have taken a toll. In late December, the Cornhuskers lost guard Anton Gill, a Louisville transfer, to a knee injury. On Jan. 8, Ed Morrow, a 6-7, 234-pound sophomore from Chicago, injured his right foot and has been sidelined the last seven games. He was averaging 10 points, 8 rebounds.
Without Morrow, who was having a breakout season, Nebraska has relied more heavily on Michael Jacobson, a 6-9, 239-pound sophomore from Waukee, Iowa; and Jordy Tshimanga, a 6-11, 275-pound freshman from Montreal. He's raw. He has played only four years of organized basketball.
"But he's coming along nicely, he has played his best the last two games," UW assistant Joe Krabbenhoft said of Tshimanga, who had 10 points and 8 rebounds against Iowa and 15 points and 9 rebounds against Michigan State. Tshimanga is 60 pounds lighter than he was three years ago.
"He's a big, raw body," said Krabbenhoft, who filed the scouting report on the Huskers. "He's very physical on the post. He works really hard for a deep touch and he puts other bigs in foul trouble because he works so hard. He's a load on the glass, too. You have to box him out."
Last March, the Cornhuskers stunned the Badgers in their opening game of the league tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. They did so by holding them to only 30 percent shooting (16-of-53 from the field, 4-of-20 from the arc). It's not likely the UW seniors have forgotten.
