Head Games

Daylight turns into night
We try and find the answer, but it's nowhere in sight
It's always the same, and you know who's to blame
You know what I'm saying, still we keep on playing
Head games

First of all, Foreigner Rocks. 

Second of all, I hate the stupid NBA 3 point line being on the court in college games. UW kids can’t handle the head games. College kids are either too stupid, or too egomaniacal to pretend like it isn’t there. All it takes is the presence of that line, and they feel like they have to shoot the ball from NBA range.

By my official count, the badgers launched 18 of their 25 3PA from NBA range or with their feet on the NBA line. They shot 4 more from well behind the college line, and only 3 from what would be considered a normal college 3. I’m not totally making this up. I went through my DVR of the game and took photos of every 3 point shot. Most look like this:

Or this:

Or this:

Or this:

Or this:

I won’t put up every photo, but there were way too many long threes, especially for a team that only made 3 of 25. UW eventually stopped messing around, launching 0 3PA in overtime, while they made 5-6 FG.

One more thought from an ugly game I almost wish I didn’t watch. Was tonight Happ’s coming out moment. You may remember Frank set a Badger record with 43 points vs. North Dakota in an early season game in his Junior Year. After that, Frank wasn’t always dominant, but it was the coming out moment from which his dominance started. It was his team after that day. That team was loaded with good players, but it was Frank's team. Happ is not the same player, and is only a Sophomore, but I feel like this was his coming out moment. 

After setting a career high with 28 against Minnesota, he set another with 32 vs. Rutgers. Both games on the road, and both wins in OT. Most important, after the Badgers were down 9 with three and a half minutes to go, Happ scored 8 of the final 13 Badger points, including the basket with 2 seconds left to tie. On that play he could have handed off to Bronson, but Bronson was guarded pretty well, so Happ just backed his guy down and took him. Happ then went on to add 7 more points in overtime, outscoring Rutgers by himself 15-13 in the final 3+ minutes and overtime.