BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — The Badgers begin a key homestand on Wednesday when they host Northwestern at the Kohl Center. Here are three things to know:
1. Seeing is Believing
As a basketball shooter, Brad Davison believes in his shot and the law of averages. Beyond the commonplace notion that "shooters shoot'' it's a matter of progressing to the mean when that shot may not be falling. In 111 career games, Davison has taken 946 shots and made 39 percent of them. That number has not fluctuated much from year to year (from a high of .405 as a freshman to his current .352 percentage as a senior).
Despite making just one of eight field goal attempts (.125) at Michigan, he didn't shy away from the ball at Rutgers. Ninety-six seconds after the opening tipoff, Davison was fouled by Geo Baker in the process of taking a 3-pointer. Davison, a career 82 percent shooter from the line, made all three.
Seeing the ball go through the net is the tonic for any player in the midst of shooting his way out of a slump. Davison is no different. Seconds later, he drilled a 3-pointer in transition. On the very next offensive possession, Davison unselfishly turned down an open look from the perimeter for a better shot inside by feeding Micah Potter who responded with a big jam. Davison then came back and drained another triple. After Rutgers had scored the first two baskets, the Badgers countered with the next 11 points and Davison had a hand in all of the scoring with nine points and an assist. Although he didn't stay hot from the field (3-of-12 overall), he didn't cool off from the line (5-of-5).
Said Davison afterwards, "Our shots weren't falling at the rate they usually would, or we would like it to be (at Michigan), so you've got to find other ways to win. Coming into the (Rutgers) game, we were focused on defense, rebounding and our togetherness. Those were definitely the three keys that got us the win. Not necessarily shooting. Not necessarily the pretty things that people like to talk about. But it's the things that great teams do to win.''
It remains to be seen how good of a team the Badgers will be. But it's clear that shooters must possess a high basketball IQ (as it applies to shot selection) to go along with a high basketball EQ (Emotional Quotient) in handling the emotion from the ups and downs of making or missing shots.
2. Seeing is Believing, II
Northwestern's Boo Buie can relate to what Davison has been going through. Buie, a 6-2 sophomore point guard from Albany, N.Y., is the half-brother of Talor Battle, the all-time leading scorer at Penn State and now a Nittany Lions assistant coach. This season, Buie has dealt with a series of measurable highs and lows from an offensive standpoint.
In the Wildcats win over Michigan State, he had 30 points (9-of-15 FGs, 5-of-6 3PT, 7-of-8 FTs). He then had 14 points, 5 assists and 0 turnovers in a 71-70 victory against Ohio State. Over the next four games, Buie made just 2-of-29 shots and was held scoreless against Michigan and Illinois (0-for-12). Sunday, he hit three straight triples in an early 9-0 run against Iowa before cooling off. Buie finished with 12 points, four 3-pointers, all in the first half, in a losing cause.
You can safely assume the Badgers will be well aware of his presence Wednesday, especially at the arc, where he remains a threat (22-of-55 overall, .400) in Northwestern's up-tempo attack (the Wildcats have outscored opponents, 134-96 in fast-break points). The offense revolves around multiple players scoring from the perimeter from Buie to Miller Kopp (the leading scorer, 13.5 ppg) to Chase Audige (a transfer from William & Mary) to Ty Berry (a true freshman). The Wildcats are averaging 8.9 triples, twice hitting 14.
Observed UW point guard D'Mitrik Trice, "They're a long team, really athletic, one through five. They have a lot of shooters and a lot of guys who can score the ball. We're going to have to exploit the mismatches when they present themselves … limiting their points in transition will be big.''
3. Defending the 'TFZ'
Northwestern's 6-10, 225-pound Pete Nance is on a short list of tall ballers. As such, he's in select company as one of only three Big Ten players to be shooting above 60 percent on 2-pointers and better than 35 percent on 3-pointers. Iowa's Luka Garza and Maryland's Donta Scott were also on that list (as of Monday) with a minimum of 25 attempts. Nance has made 48-of-79 (.608) from inside the arc and 11-of-31 (.355) from outside.
His DNA has been well-documented. His dad, Larry Nance Sr., played 13 seasons in the NBA with Phoenix and Cleveland. A three-time All-Star and a slam dunk contest winner, he had his No. 22 jersey retired by the Cavs. Pete also wears No. 22. Meanwhile, his older brother, Larry Nance Jr., a former first round pick of the Lakers, is now playing with the Cavs. Pete Nance led the Wildcats in scoring with 14 points in last season's 63-48 loss to the Badgers at the Kohl Center. He was one of only two players in double-figures in the game. Nate Reuvers was the other with 11 points. Davison, Potter, Aleem Ford and Brevin Pritzl had nine apiece. Northwestern had only six points in transition.
"Our defense has to be a little more consistent,'' Trice said after Rutgers outscored the Badgers, 42-18, in the paint, something the Scarlet Knights have done to just about everybody on their schedule. "Whether that's letting a team not get in the paint and score in the TFZ – what we call the Ten Foot Zone – or not letting wide open 3's and contesting every shot, we definitely need to focus on that.''
