Wisconsin's Brad Davison: 'We Know How to Finish Games'

The Big Ten title is on the line Tuesday night when Wisconsin hosts Purdue at the Kohl Center in a showdown of the league's best. Pesky Wisconsin guard Brad Davison is expecting a battle for the ages. “Absolutely we’re going to get Purdue’s best shot, but we wouldn’t have it any other way,'' he said in an exclusive interview.

Tom Brew | Mar 1, 2022

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin is on the verge of winning the Big Ten regular season title this week, and it just might be one of the best league success stories in recent memory.

And why? Because this was not supposed to happen. Not even close.

When the astute members of the media that cover the Big Ten on a regular basis did their preseason polls back in October, they had the Badgers picked to finish 10th — yes, TENTH!! — in the league.

But with just five days left in what has been a great and entertaining regular season, the Badgers currently sit alone at the top with a 14-4 league record. (They are 23-5 overall.) Wisconsin has a one-game lead on Purdue and Illinois, and the Badgers host Purdue on Tuesday night in an epic showdown.

For all the information on how to watch the game, CLICK HERE

Wisconsin is where they are thanks to a roster that refuses to back down to anything late in games. The Badgers are an amazing 14-1 this season in games decided by six points or less. Sure, they hit big shots — more on that in a minute — but they also lock down defensively late in games, allowing them to steal a few victories that maybe didn't belong to them.

What the media got wrong too, of course, was that guard Johnny Davis, the 6-foot-5 sophomore from La Crosse, Wis., has turned into a superstar. He's averaging 20.5 points and 8.3 rebounds a game, and is my front-runner for Big Ten Player of the year.

Those preseason projections — which I was not a part of, by the way — not only didn't have Davis on the all-Big Ten team, but he didn't get A SINGLE VOTE for league MVP or even first-team all-league. Not one.

Davis has been terrific all year, with several-game winning shots down the stretch — including two against Indiana — and senior guard Brad Davison, a fifth-year player who's made the most of his bonus year, has played well all season, too.

Throw in a front line — Tyler Wahl, Steven Crowl and Chris Vogt — that's been much better than expected and the emergence of freshman point guard Chucky Hepburn, and you've suddenly — and unexpectedly — have a damn good basketball team.

Here's your look back to October, and the preseason poll"

Big Ten basketball preseason projections

Order of finish

Voting points included; first-place votes in parentheses.

Michigan, 373 (13)
Purdue, 373 (12)
Illinois, 320 (3)
Ohio State, 316
Maryland, 269
Michigan State, 262
Indiana, 219
Rutgers, 208
Iowa, 150
Wisconsin, 149
Nebraska, 105
Northwestern, 81
Penn State, 81
Minnesota, 34

Preseason player of the year

Kofi Cockburn, Illinois, 11
Jaden Ivey, Purdue, 5
E.J. Liddell, Ohio State, 4
Hunter Dickinson, Michigan, 3
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana, 3
Trevion Williams, Purdue, 2

Preseason freshman of the year

Caleb Houstan, Michigan, 20
Max Christie, Michigan State, 7
Bryce McGowens, Nebraska, 1

Preseason first-team All-Big Ten

Voting points in parentheses.

Kofi Cockburn, Illinois (27)
E.J. Liddell, Ohio State (26)
Hunter Dickinson, Michigan (25)
Jaden Ivey, Purdue (21)
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana (20)

Also receiving votes: Trevion Williams, Purdue (10); Eric Ayala, Maryland (4); Andre Curbelo, Illinois, and DeVante' Jones, Michigan (2); Geo Baker and Ron Harper Jr., Rutgers, and Caleb Houstan, Michigan (1)

Sports Illustrated Purdue publisher Tom Brew, host of both the "Sasha Live!'' podcast and the "Big Ten Roundtable'' podcast, sat down with the Wisconsin guard on Monday to preview the huge Purdue-Wisconsin showdown and talk about how this Badgers team has surprised everyone this season.

Davison has been a regular contributor on the "Big Ten Roundtable'' all season. They talked about playing for the Big Ten crown, what they are expected from Purdue, their challenges on the defensive end and how special this season has been.

Here are the highlights of the interview:

— Brad Davison on playing for a Big Ten title

“That’s what you put all the time in for, whether it’s the spring or the summer or the fall, because when it comes to March, you want to be playing for something. You don’t just want to be playing to just get in the NCAA Tournament. You want to win something, get a ring, raise a banner, We’ve had a great year so far, but it’s time to finish strong.''

— On going 14-1 in close games

“That’s what we try to pride ourselves on. We always talk about sticking together and playing defense. Obviously, when it comes down to the last two minutes of a game, you’ve got to make big-time shots, But you’ve got to get stops. There’s going to be highs and lows, but you just have to stick together. It comes down to this possession and you’ve got to lay it all out on the floor.’’

“That’s the goal. We want to get teams off the there-point line, we want to keep them away from getting easy buckets in the lane and we want to force tough shots and make sure it’s only one shot.

“We want to get the ball back in our possession so we can control the pace. Contesting tough shots and getting rebounds is something we're always focusing on.’’

— on depth of the Wisconsin team

“You hit it right there, because that’s what it takes. It takes more than one, two or three guys to compete at this level, because our league is so good and there are so many great players and great coaches.

“It takes contributions from everyone. We always say we succeed because we have strength in numbers, but also strength in togetherness. If someone is having an off-game, we’ve had timely contributions from other guys, whether it’s making a shot or making hustle players. We’ve had a lot of guys step up and find ways to win games.

— on what he's seeing from Purdue

“They’re doing some new stuff offensively that we’re locking in on, but they still have the same guys. They have a big challenge with the two guys inside with (Zach) Edey and (Trevion) Williams, because they’re incredible. Edey can finish through contact and Williams can shimmy shake and get where he wants to and then find guys. His passing is a great weapon for them.

“They surround those two with shooters and then you’ve got (Jaden) Ivey coming downhill the whole game. It’s a great challenge. We really enjoyed the challenge of playing against them at Mackey Arena, and to me that was still one of the best college basketball games of the year.’’

— on defending Purdue shooters on kickouts

“You’ve kind of got to pick your poison. That’s what a lot of the tough teams in our league make you do, whether you’re going to double down, or dig or take away shooters. We mix it up by game, by half, by possession, and we’ll throw a lot of things at them.

“So you’re going to see a lot of different techniques and strategies out of us to keep Edey and Williams on their toes.

— on the winner-take-all feeling of the Purdue game

“Absolutely we’re going to get Purdue’s best shot, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. As you come down to March, you’re going to get everyone’s best shot, because it’s one of the last opportunities that you have to compete with your brothers.

“Everyone’s going to put their best foot forward this time of year. Winning the Big Ten, his was our goal at the beginning, just like it was their goal too. Now we get to go after it. This is why you come to Wisconsin, to play at this level and compete for a Big Ten title. I’m just looking forward to going out there and competing with them.''

— on wanting to win the title outright

"We don’t talk like that (losing to Purdue but still being tied for the lead). Our goal is win the Big Ten title, but we’re also playing for a lot more than that. We’re playing for seeding in the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament. There’s a lot at stake.’’

— on wrapping up his career at the Kohl Center this week in his final two games.

“It’s been an amazing time at Wisconsin, and as we’ve talked about during the year on the shows, it’s just been such an enjoyable season. I’ve loved every minute of it, and obviously we all have thoroughly enjoyed all the success we’ve had. It’s been great, but there’s still a long way to go. It’s March now, and it all really matters. We’re playing well right now and we’re looking forward to making some noise.''