BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — The tenth-ranked Badgers host a top-15 matchup in Madison when they host #15 Ohio State on Saturday at the Kohl Center. Here are three things to know:
1. Hitting a Wahl
Freshman Jonathan Davis hit a wall against Northwestern. Make that a Wahl. Tyler Wahl.
Davis hit Wahl with the ball. Off a missed Trevor Anderson jump shot, Davis tracked down the offensive rebound on the baseline by outhustling Robbie Beran and winning the 50/50. Before stepping out of bounds on the UW sidelines, he flipped the basketball well out onto the floor to Wahl who conceded, "I didn't know it was going to come back (to me). He made a great play, a great athletic play. That's what he's really good at – making those hustle plays."
D'Mitrik Trice was positioned a few feet away from Wahl. They were so close together Anthony Gaines didn't know who to guard. Trice formed a pocket for a pass and called for the ball. "I did hear Meech kind of when I was already in my shooting motion and I was like, 'Oh, well, it's too late,'" said Wahl who drained the 3-pointer to push Wisconsin into a 47-39 lead.
Prior to that basket, the Badgers had missed nine of their first 10 field goal attempts to start the second half, including going 0-for-6 from the arc. The only make was from Wahl who converted on an old-fashioned 3-point play on the first possession after intermission. Wahl absorbed a bump from Miller Kopp and scored through contact while sandwiched between Beran and Chase Audige.
A year ago, he wasn't strong enough to make this kind of play. What a difference a year has made in his offensive game. Said Wahl, "I feel very comfortable and confident in our offense this year." As a freshman, Wahl was only 6-of-28 from the 3-point line. Through the first 11 games this season, he was 2-of-9. But he went 2-for-2 against Indiana and he has now made five of his last six from distance.
"What you're seeing is the evolution of a player that got some experience as a freshman," UW coach Greg Gard said of Wahl. "He's playing much more confidently. The two 3's that he hit against Indiana were big for him because he needed that shot in the arm to kind of reaffirm that the hard work that he put in … is paying off."
Fruits of labor rewarded, Gard concluded.
2. Davis Still Dangerous
Midway through the first half, Gaines fouled Davis who stepped to the free throw line and made both attempts, his own personal shot in the arm, if you will, given his spotty shooting from the stripe (12-of-19, .632) and his recent offensive struggles (3-of-19 from the field the previous three games).
Speaking to the about-face, Gard said, "The thing that got him going was getting to the free throw line … that seemed to ignite him. That's often the case whether it's a freshman or a senior, or anybody between, if they're struggling a little bit or wanting to get some confidence going, find a way to get yourself to the line. That was big for him."
So was a Davis block on Audige seconds earlier at the other end of the floor. Slashing from the wing, Audige beat Davis off the bounce but Wahl rotated and built a wall, arms raised, and Davis denied Audige from dunking. "He's really good at defense, he's long and athletic," Trice said of the 6-5 Davis who had eight points and six rebounds against Northwestern, tying Wahl for the team high. "He (Davis) comes in and gets a lot of rebounds with his athleticism – jumping over guys and boxing out guys and making smart plays."
Trice has also been impressed with Davis' arsenal. "He can score in so many different ways and that's what is making him so dangerous," he said. "He just brings that extra dimension to our team – another guy that they've got to key on even as a freshman. He's going out there with a lot of energy and passion. He can knock down a 3 but he can also get to the rim. That's what makes him dangerous, too."
3. Balancing Act
The Badgers had four players account between 10 and 14 points in the Northwestern win. On the season, they have five players who are averaging between 9 and 15 points. Trice leads the way (14.8) followed by Micah Potter (12.1) and the next three are almost in a dead heat: Brad Davison (9.8), Aleem Ford (9.4) and Nate Reuvers (9.1). Balanced scoring is a good thing.
"It's something we harped on before the season even started," Trice said. "We could have a lot of guys averaging between 10 and 12 points. I think that's what makes us dangerous. That's when we're at our best when a lot of guys are sharing the ball. We're scoring and high-fiving and getting assists … It's not just one person scoring the ball all the time. A team can't focus on one individual guy because they've got to worry about somebody else shooting or getting in the post. It just makes us that much more dangerous."
During a 9-0 second half run against the Wildcats, the Badgers had Davison, Reuvers, Davis, Anderson and Wahl on the floor. Anderson had four points, Wahl had three and Reuvers had a bucket during this stretch. The combination underlined the depth of Wisconsin's eight-man rotation. Reuvers, Davis and Anderson did not start the game.
Said Wahl, "We had those guys in who usually bring the hustle, er, not necessarily bring the hustle, but a little bit of an extra spark with me, Trevor and Johnny. We were able to just make some plays and it sparked us."
Reuvers played 22 minutes and Potter played nearly 17 as a tag team. Potter started and scored Wisconsin's first seven points. In last season's 70-57 win over Ohio State at the Kohl Center in early February, Potter and Reuvers both started. Each contributed nine points. Balance was once again the key. Brevin Pritzl had 19 but the Badgers had five players score between 8 and 10 points.
Made'em really dangerous.
