NCAAB Game Preview - Grambling at Wisconsin

Sat Dec 22, 2018 12:00 PM EST

Wisconsin scored 101 points on Dec. 14 against Savannah State, the first time in five years that the No. 16 Badgers scored 100 points or more in a game.

The Badgers (9-2) host Grambling State (6-6) in Madison, Wis., on Saturday in the first of two nonconference games remaining on Wisconsin's schedule before Big Ten Conference action resumes in 2019.

It's likely the Tigers of Grambling State will pose more of a challenge than the Tigers of Savannah State.

Grambling State is fresh off a 69-68 home win on Wednesday against Southeastern Louisiana.

Tigers junior guard Ivy Smith Jr. sank 11 of 12 free throws, including two with four seconds to go, as Grambling State rallied to overcome a first-half deficit. Smith scored a team-high 17 points.

Junior guard-forward Dallas Polk-Hilliard, a South Dakota State transfer who scored 13 points against Southeastern Louisiana, has become a strong presence for the Tigers.

Grambling State coach Donte' Jackson said he's been pleased with Polk-Hilliard's efforts.

Jackson noted that ball handling and reading defenses are areas the Milwaukee native needs to work on. Polk-Hilliard averages 13.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, both team highs.

"Dallas Polk-Hilliard has brought leadership to our team," Jackson said. "He's bought into our defensive scheme and is really trying to complete each possession."

While there's no denying the fact that Wisconsin star senior forward Ethan Happ will pose problems for Grambling State, Jackson still was mulling whether the Tigers will double team Happ. The preseason All-American leads the Badgers in scoring (19.2 points per game) and rebounding (10.8).

"He's one of the best players in the nation and he does a lot of good things on the basketball court," Jackson said. "One of the most underrated parts of his game is his ability to pass the ball."

Wisconsin coach Greg Gard says that two losses, to Virginia and Marquette, have left a sour taste in the Badgers' mouths.

"If you ask all our guys in the locker room, they think we should be 11-0," Gard said.

Redshirt freshman Kobe King got his first career start, and scored 10 points against Savannah State. King replaced senior forward Khalil Iverson, who was sidelined after suffering a foot/ankle injury.

Sophomore guard Brad Davison scored a game-high 24 points and drilled 6 of 9 shots from 3-point range against Savannah State.

Davison said pushing through a scoring slump and regaining his touch still is a work in progress. He's shooting 36.4 percent from 3-point range and averaging 9.4 points.

"It's been a long couple months," Davison said. "I'm trying to get it back, but I've put a lot of time into basketball and a lot of time into my shot.

"So I trust it. I have confidence in it. Tough times will come but tough people last."

Meanwhile, Davison lent an assist with the recruitment of Micah Potter. Potter, a junior forward from Ohio State, announced his intent to transfer to Wisconsin.

He begins classes in the upcoming spring semester, but due to transfer rules, he won't be able to play until December 2019.

"He showed that he actually cared about me, and not just the fact that I could help his basketball team," Potter told the Badger-Herald student newspaper about Davison.