Davis, No. 13 Badgers look for redemption Thursday vs. 16th-ranked Ohio State
The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team looks for a bit of redemption Thursday, up against Ohio State.
The last time these teams played, a month ago, the 16th-ranked Buckeyes (10-3) — now ranked lower than UW — destroyed the Badgers 73-55.
Now, Wisconsin (13-2) is ranked 13th in the nation — a 10-spot jump in the rankings from last week, thanks mostly to La Crosse native Johnny Davis’ 37-point performance in knocking off No. 3 Purdue last week.
Davis heads into the 6 p.m. game at the Kohl Center and on ESPN2 with a national spotlight. He was getting NBA Top 5 draft buzz before, but now he’s likely to have a target on his back against every team he faces.
The 6-foot-5 sophomore is averaging 22.3 points on 45.2% shooting from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. He’s leading Wisconsin in rebounds (7.4), assists (2.6) and steals (1.4).
Davis, who was named co-Big 10 Player of the Week on Monday, has scored 15 or more points every game this season — something he did only once last year, when he averaged 7.0 points a game.
The only other loss this season for Wisconsin came Nov. 15 against Providence 63-58 — a game Davis did not play. The Friars (14-2) weren’t ranked at the time, but are now 23rd in the nation.
TOP PHOTO: FILE – Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis (1) goes to the basket against Purdue’s Jaden Ivey (23) and Isaiah Thompson (11) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, in West Lafayette, Ind. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)