March Madness: Johnny Davis and Wisconsin pull away in the second half to beat Colgate 67-60

The Badgers advance to take on Iowa State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Taking part in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region, the Wisconsin Badgers came to Milwaukee looking to jumpstart a deep tournament run against the Colgate Raiders. 

Led by Johnny Davis and a second-half surge, the Badgers would manage to hold off Colgate for a first-round win. 

Heeeeeeere's, @JohnnyDavis! 😤#OnWisconsin #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/bxOwZSxpMP

— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) March 19, 2022

Early on, Colgate would jump out to a four-point lead at the first media timeout thanks to Wisconsin missing six of their first seven shot attempts.

The Badgers would respond with a 9-0 run to secure a 19-15 advantage moments later behind some improved shooting and solid minutes off the bench by Ben Carlson and Chris Vogt.

The Wisconsin run would be short-lived, however. Colgate would find their stroke from behind the three-point arc, while the Badgers settled for a string of tough jump shots that did not fall. With just under five minutes left to play, the Raiders would regain a three-point lead. 

A Johnny Davis three-point make late would give Wisconsin a slight lead with 2:36 on the clock, but by halftime, the score was all tied up at 28-28.

All tied up at the halftime break#OnWisconsin #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/s0mn5LwLLo

— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) March 19, 2022

Wisconsin and Colgate would each come out of the intermission shooting well.  Colgate would connect on three of their first four three-point attempts, while the Badgers, led by Tyler Wahl would score eight of their first nine points in the paint to maintain a tie game at the first media timeout. 

The two teams would continue to exchange buckets over the next few minutes as the tempo of the game sped up, and Colgate continued to not miss from deep. 

By the 7:15 mark though the Badgers would find a way to take a 53-52 lead following a Steven Crowl banked three-pointer. 

Johnny Davis would take over from that point with five consecutive points to give Wisconsin a 58-52 lead with just under four minutes to play as Colgate failed to score for seven minutes. 

Davis would continue to pour it on late for the Badgers, as Wisconsin would pull away to win 67-60 and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. 

"We stopped being lazy on defense" - Johnny Davis on what changed defensively late in the game.

— Matt Belz (@savedbythebelz) March 19, 2022

Game defining statistics:

• 5-of-9 for 17 points

After an up-and-down first half for Johnny Davis, the All-American took over in the second half with a 17-point performance on 55% shooting. The Wisconsin star stepped up with the final 14 points of the game and propelled the team with 25 points and eight rebounds. 

• 6-of-7 to 0-of-4

Colgate was absolutely on fire from three-point range early in the second half, making six of their first seven attempts. However, the Badgers tightened up on defense and the Raiders did not make a three-pointer thereafter. In fact, Colgate went seven minutes without a basket and finished the game making only two of their last 11 shot attempts. Credit Greg Gard and the Badgers for making the necessary adjustments to slow down the red-hot Raiders. 

• 15 points off turnovers

The Badgers only turned the ball over five times against Colgate. On the flip side, Wisconsin was able to turn the Raiders over 12 times and convert those miscues into 15 points. In a game that was close throughout, the Badgers did not beat themselves. 

Players of note:

• Johnny Davis (WIS) - 25 points, eight rebounds, one assist
• Chucky Hepburn (WIS) - eight points, six rebounds, five assists
• Tyler Wahl (WIS) - 15 points, nine rebounds, four assists
• Nelly Cummings (Colgate) - 20 points, six rebounds, six assists

On tap...

Wisconsin moves on to the second round of the NCAA Tournament to face Iowa State on Sunday. Tip-time is set for 5:10 p.m. CST from the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.