La Crosse’s Davis looks to bounce back Tuesday for Badgers against Michigan St., after worst game of season
There wasn’t a better time in the season for La Crosse native Johnny Davis to have his worst game.
The shooting guard for the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team was just 2-for-13 form the field scoring four points Saturday in a 51-49 win over Penn State.
It was the first time all year Davis had scored under 13 points, let alone single digits.
Tuesday, the 14th-ranked Badgers (18-4, 9-3) — they dropped three spots in the rankings — get their shot, once again, at No. 17 Michigan State (17-5, 8-3) and Davis tends to step up for the toughest challenges.
Like the last time these two teams played, the Spartans are coming off an embarrassing loss and looking to take it out on their next opponent.
Last time, MSU lost to Northwestern, then turned around and beat the then eighth-ranked Badgers 86-47 on Jan. 21.
Saturday, Michigan State got destroyed by Rutgers 84-63, as it’s set to host the Badgers, where they’re 9-1 at home.
Davis has struggled shooting since Michigan State, which focused its defense into making the sophomore work for every bucket. He was just 8-for-20 in that one and he’s shot just 34.6% from the field (27-for-78) in the past five games.
For the season, he’s shooting 41.9% in averaging 20.6 points a game. Part of the low shooting percentage, however, could be because the Badgers depend so much on his scoring.
Wisconsin sits second in the Big 10 standings behind Illinois (17-5, 10-2). They’re 3-3 against ranked teams this season. There are eight games left in the regular season. After Michigan State, the only ranked team left on the schedule is No. 3 Purdue (20-3).
TOP PHOTO: FILE – Wisconsin guard Johnny Davis, right, drives to the basket against Northwestern guard Ryan Greer (2) and center Ryan Young during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Evanston, Ill., Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)