La Crosse’s Davis “ain’t going to really sugarcoat” his goal is to not lose another game

Arizona Cardinals defensive end and former Wisconsin football star J.J. Watt contacted the University of Wisconsin men’s men’s basketball team as it prepared for the NCAA tournament opener Friday night against Colgate.

“We got a nice little message from J.J. Watt this morning giving us encouragement and advice, saying the state of Wisconsin is behind us, the university’s behind us, just go out there and enjoy every moment,” Wisconsin guard Brad Davison said. “Take it all in.”

The third-seeded Badgers enter the tournament on a two-game skid but remain as confident as ever.

“The realistic goal is not to lose another game the rest of this season. I ain’t going to really sugarcoat it or anything,” La Crosse native Johnny Davis said.

Davis has emerged as, not just a star for the Badgers, but for all of college basketball. The sophomore is all but a guaranteed to be a lottery pick next season, if he heads to the NBA.

He went from averaging 7 points a game as a freshman on a senior-dominated team to just under 20 points now.

The First Team All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year leads the nation in scoring against Top 25 teams at 25 points a game.