UW’s Davison ends three-point slump

MADISON – No one should have been surprised to see Brad Davison rediscover his shooting touch from threepoint range in Wisconsin’s victory over Indiana.

“I’ve made a lot of shots in my career,” Davison said after hitting 3 of 8 three-pointers in UW’s 74-69 victory. “So I choose to think about those even when it’s not going in.”

Three-point attempts were not falling at Davison’s accustomed rate entering the Indiana game.

In games against Illinois, Penn State, Michigan State and Rutgers, Davison hit just 4 of 28 attempts (14.3%).

He went 0 for 6 in a loss at Illinois, 1 for 6 in a victory over visiting Penn State, went 2 for 7 in a victory at Michigan State and then 1 for 9 in a home loss to Rutgers.

A breakdown of Davison’s three-point shooting numbers at UW revealed that was his worst performance over any four-game stretch. His previous low mark was 24.0% (6 of 25), in Games 25-28 during the 2018-19 season.

Davison entered the Indiana game having shot below 30.0% over a four-game stretch nine times at UW.

However, he was above the 35.0% mark over a four-game stretch 23 times. That included a total of 13 four-game stretches of shooting 40.0% or better from three-point range.

“I don’t think of it is a cold streak or a hot streak,” Davison explained. “My confidence comes from the time that I’ve put in and the routine I have.

“I see a lot of shots go in when it’s not game time, whether it is early morning or late at night. I have teammates that believe in me and a coach that believes in me to take those shots.

“I’m going to continue to shoot them.”

Davison missed his first three-point attempt against the Hoosiers, less than a minute into the game. He finished the first half 1 of 3 from three-point range and then hit 2 of 5 attempts after halftime.

He finished 10 of 10 from the free-throw line and contributed 21 points and seven rebounds, second on the team behind Johnny Davis (30 points, 10 rebounds).

Davison’s biggest shot of the night was a three-pointer from the right wing to help UW cut Indiana’s lead to 62-61 with 5 minutes 34 seconds left.

Chucky Hepburn penetrated into the lane and then looked to pass. Davis cut hard to his right, took a pass from Hepburn and rose quickly for the three-pointer.

“Wow!” analyst Jay Bilas said during the telecast. “How hard did he run into that shot? Just planted and went straight up.”

His only poor decision came in the first half when he airballed a transition three-pointer with 7:18 left and UW trailing by a point.

Despite the four-game cold spell, Davison is No. 1 among the starters in three-point shooting at 35.0%.

UW coach Greg Gard was asked after the victory over Indiana if he is as confident in Davison’s ability to fight through a difficult stretch as his player is.

The answer: Yes.

“He’s got the ultimate green light – for the most part,” Gard said. “That one he chucked up in the first half that ended up in Row 8 … that one we had a little talked about.

“(But) he doesn’t have a license to let it fly by accident. He has earned it. I mean, the kid is shooting 85% in drills in practice from three.

“When you have somebody shooting it like that, you don’t second guess it for the most part.”

And based on Davison’s history, no one should be surprised to see him follow a cold streak by hitting critical three-pointers, often in bunches.

TREVOR RUSZKOWSKI / USA TODAY SPORTS Badgers guard Brad Davison hit 3 of 8 three-point attempts against Indiana after going 4 for 28 in his four previous games.