All boos, no flops in NC State’s bounce-back win over Wisconsin
There’s a difference between how fans remember a game and how players do.
N.C. State coach Kevin Keatts said before Wednesday’s 69-54 rematch win over Wisconsin that his players wouldn’t remember much from last year’s loss to the Badgers. Not any of the flops by Brad Davison or even the celebratory flex.
He was right.
“Last year was last year’s game,” junior forward D.J. Funderburk said. “To our fans, they don’t forget anything. They booed (Davison) every single time. That really didn’t matter to us. We just tried to focus and win the game really.”
And they did. With a career-high 23 points from Jericole Hellems and a complete defensive effort, the Wolfpack (6-2) bounced back from a loss to Memphis on Thanksgiving. That game mattered to the players more than last year’s with the Badgers (4-4).
“I’m always talking about when you lose a game, you’re a little sick,” Keatts said. “I thought we got well (Wednesday). I thought we bounced back.”
Davison, and his penchant for falling down while playing defense, was at the center of a 79-75 Wolfpack loss in Wisconsin last year. The 6-3 guard drew a charge on N.C. State’s Markell Johnson, with 17.9 seconds left, to seal that game for the Badgers.
There were more than 16,000 people on Wednesday night who booed Davison every time he touched the ball and were mad at the junior guard about last year’s performance. Johnson wasn’t one of them.
“Nah,” Johnson said. “I don’t think we cared at all. It was kind of funny to hear the crowd boo him. I feel like he shouldn’t have been booed. He was just doing his job last year.”
NCAA tournament snub
Who knows if Davison’s flops were the difference between N.C. State making the NCAA tournament last year or not. The loss certainly didn’t help the Wolfpack’s cause but it had other opportunities.
So far this season, N.C. State had played two quality opponents (Georgia Tech and Memphis) and lost to both. Just like last year’s game with Wisconsin, this was another opportunity for N.C. State. This time, the Wolfpack made the most of it.
“We had to come out hungry and starving for this game to come back and get a win, which we did,” Funderburk said.
The way the Wolfpack lost to Memphis, getting boat-raced in the first half and giving up 55 points in the process, didn’t sit well with Johnson.
Especially since N.C. State showed in the second half against the Tigers, by holding them to 28 points, it was capable of picking up a quality win for its NCAA tournament resume.
“It was really just about bouncing back from Memphis,” Johnson said.
Davison was mostly a non-factor. He came into the game second on the team in scoring (12.1 points per game) but only made one shot and finished with three points.
A ways to go in Wisconsin
The Badgers, who came into the game off of losses to Richmond and New Mexico, aren’t the same type of team that made the NCAA tournament as a No. 5 seed last year. They’re miles from the 2015 heyday of ending Kentucky’s perfect season (before losing to Duke in the national title game).
Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker aren’t walking through that door for the Badgers but it was an important night for N.C. State, nonetheless.
After losing short-handed to Georgia Tech in the opener and stumbling in the first half to Memphis, N.C. State needed this win.
“I feel like we have to have them all,” Keatts said.
But given what’s left outside the league (Auburn, UNCG), and how the ACC is shaping up, N.C. State had to make sure it made the most of this opportunity.
It did. And without a flop or a flex from Davison. Leaving the home fans with only a reason to cheer.
This story was originally published December 5, 2019 at 1:36 AM with the headline "All boos, no flops in NC State’s bounce-back win over Wisconsin."
