UW basketball:
Koenig breaks out of slump.
Madison — One day before Wisconsin hosted Syracuse in the Big Ten/ ACC Challenge, senior guard Bronson Koenig addressed his dismal threepoint shooting.
Despite shooting just 24.6% from beyond the arc (14 of 57), Koenig didn’t sound like a player mired in a crisis of confidence.
“A lot of them feel really good,” he said. “They’re just not going in right now.
“I go through this pretty much every season and once I start getting the game speed down and everything like that and find my shot I’ll be fine.
“I’ll find it — sooner rather than later.”
Less than 24 hours later, Koenig buried 6 of 9 three-pointers in UW’s 7750 victory.
As No. 17 UW (6-2) prepares to host Oklahoma (4-1) at noon Saturday, Koenig is teeming with confidence.
“It was a great feeling to finally start to feel that consistency,” he said. “It was nice just to see the ball go in.”
Koenig, who leads UW in scoring at 15.1 points per game, benefited from three developments in the victory over Syracuse.
UW’s ball movement against the 2-3 zone was outstanding. The Badgers had 21 assists on 29 field goals.
Koenig also did a better job being prepared to catch and shoot. He noticed during video review of UW’s three games in Maui that he was too upright when he received a pass.
“I would have to rush my shot because I wouldn’t be ready to shoot,” said Koenig, who hit 5 of 22 three-point attempts in Maui. “And there would be a 6-9 guy
flying at me.”
Last, Koenig is growing more comfortable moving to shooting guard with freshman D’Mitrik Trice running the point.
“I really like his aggressiveness and his ability to punch gaps,” Koenig said. “I think we have lacked that a lot of times over the past couple years really. He is usually a good decision-maker, especially for being just a freshman.
“He looks for me and I tell him to look for me, especially when he does get into those gaps. Driving and kicking is a huge part of being a good team.”
The staff is growing more comfortable with Trice at the point. The freshman is averaging 16 minutes per game, tops among the reserves, has more assists (13) than turnovers (eight) and is shooting 56.3% from three-point range (9 of 16).
His ability to distribute allows Koenig to hunt his shot more.
“They are going to pay attention to him no matter where he is on the floor,” associate head coach Lamont Paris said of Koenig. “But I think sometimes it is easier to manipulate the situation when you don’t have the ball in your hands.
“We can run some things for him that we couldn’t run with him at the point."
Koenig’s 6-for-9 performance from three-point range was a telltale sign for UW coach Greg Gard, who understood Koenig entered the season shooting 38.6% on three-pointers.
“As a coach I’ve never lost faith in him because I know how good of a player he is and I’ve watched him practice,” Gard said. “He has had enough experience. He will work his way out of whatever slump he might be in.
“That is the one thing you tell good shooters: ‘Shoot until you get hot.’ ”