BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Mike Lucas had a front-row seat as Wisconsin fell to Ohio State 83-73 on the road Thursday. Here is what he saw from courtside.
BK3, THE NEW UW RECORD-HOLDER
During the open gyms, the summer proving ground for all-comers, young and old alike, the incoming freshman left a favorable impression on Ben Brust who was gearing up for his senior year. Brust didn't know much about Bronson Koenig other than he was a highly-touted prospect out of La Crosse, Wisconsin. Brust, though, was well-versed on shooting and he was struck by the youngster's mechanics.
"Bronson had a good rotation and it was just a pure shot," recalled Brust, whose perspective was honed on such things by his own proficiency from 20 feet, 9 inches and beyond the 3-point line. "He had a shot built for consistency — a short, compact shot with little motion which results in little room for error and … (pause) … it has translated into catching me."
Koenig has caught and passed Brust as Wisconsin's all-time leader in 3-pointers by making 5-of-9 from outside the arc during Thursday's 83-73 loss at Ohio State. Koenig had four triples in the first half, including the record-breaker with five seconds left. He now has 237; topping a 200-plus list that includes Brust (235), Tim Locum (227), Kirk Penney (217), Michael Finley (213) and Jason Bohannon (212).
A NOTE WORTH QUOTING
Wisconsin had made only 12 triples in the previous three games combined (12-of-47) before knocking down a season-high 13-of-30 (.433). The Badgers had 12 triples in their first meeting against Ohio State. It's also worth noting that the Buckeyes had made 10 or more triples four times all season, once in the last 22 games, before going 10-of-16, matching the most the UW has given up (Marquette was 10-of-22 and Michigan was 10-of-21 in Madison). Two unlikely sources sparked OSU from 3-point range: C.J. Jackson, who was 14-of-62 (.226), went 4-for-4; and Andrew Wesson, who was 8-of-28 (.286), went 2-for-2. The Buckeyes got into an early comfort zone.
THE SKINNY ON MICHIGAN STATE
The Spartans rebounded from the emotional loss of their leading 3-point scorer, Eron Harris, to a season-ending injury by blowing out Nebraska, 88-72, Thursday night in East Lansing, Michigan. Miles Bridges and Nick Ward each had 20 points. Both were 8-of-13. Joshua Langford had 17 points. All are freshmen.
"They've relied on young players all year," said UW assistant coach Howard Moore. "Coach (Tom) Izzo has probably been a little more animated than he was in the past because of the lack of veteran leadership on the floor. But he has done a heckuva job coaching this group of young players."
Photo: Wisconsin Badgers
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