BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MINNEAPOLIS — Although it took only 27 seconds for Wisconsin's Nigel Hayes to draw two fouls on Minnesota's Eric Curry — one a shooting foul that resulted in a couple of made free throws in the first half — Hayes claimed afterwards that he wasn't aware that Curry was a first-year player.
"He was a freshman? I didn't even notice that," said Hayes, who clearly took advantage of his four years of Big Ten experience in the matchup despite his protest to the contrary. "I was just listening to the coaching staff, my parents and close friends that I need to be on the attack more."
In matching his career high in field goal attempts (18), Hayes was measured and efficient in his shot selection and shot making during last Saturday's 78-76 overtime win at Minnesota. In the first half, he was 5-of-10. In the second half, he was 4-of-8. He finished with 21 points; his league high this season.
"I thought it was pretty good, he really took his time," Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard said of Hayes' decision-making on the offensive end against the Gophers. "For the most part, we did a decent job of being patient and taking what the defense was going to give us.
"Anytime we tried to isolate Nigel, he was pretty focused on attacking, whether that was coincidental through the Swing offense that he got to the post or the fact that we did a lot of things for him and Ethan (Happ) to intentionally put them there.
"In both cases, our players did a good job of recognizing who was available and who was open and those two guys did a good job of making decisions and not forcing things in trying to come away with something each time."
To this end, Happ had career highs in attempts (19) and points (28).
"Ethan came alive," Hayes said, "and we definitely fed the quote unquote hot hand."
Happ scored 14 straight points during one stretch in the second half. What may have been overlooked was his sixth and final assist, a perfect feed to Bronson Koenig who drilled a 3-pointer to give the Badgers the lead, 77-76, in overtime. Hayes also should have gotten an assist for his screen.
The Badgers created space for Koenig with a staggered or double screen. Zak Showalter was the first screener on the block. Hayes was the second screener on the wing. Hayes executed a subtle move by inching out, which forced Nate Mason to take a wider track, resulting in Koenig's separation.
That attention to detail will only grow in importance as the Big Ten race heats up. Fifteen of Wisconsin's 19 games have been decided by 11 points or more. Only two have been decided by five points or less, the last two against Michigan (68-64) and Minnesota.
"It's good for us getting this experience," Hayes said of handling the pressure and making plays in crunch-time against the Wolverines and Gophers. "As you go deeper into conference play and the NCAA, close games become the norm."
Last season, Wisconsin and Penn State played to the wire in State College with the Badgers holding on, 66-60, behind Happ who had 20 points (10-of-15 free throws) and 11 rebounds. Hayes chipped in with 15 points and five assists. They were the only UW players in double figures.
It was the only meeting of the season between the schools. And barring a matchup in the 2017 Big Ten Tournament, Tuesday night's game will also be one-and-done between the Nittany Lions and Badgers at the Kohl Center. Penn State definitely has a fresh look after reshaping its roster.
Two freshman will start: Tony Carr, a 6-foot-3, 198-pound guard from Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia; and Lamar Stevens, a 6-7, 218-pound forward from that same high school program. Carr is averaging 11 points and leads the team in assists (3.6). Stevens is averaging 10 points and 5 rebounds.
"They're playing with way more maturity than what you would expect out of freshmen," Gard said. "They don't look like freshmen out there in terms of the decisions that they make and the plays that they make. They're not afraid of the moment. They've taken big shots at times."
Gard is not surprised, because he saw them play on the same AAU team. "I watched them," he said, "knowing that when they went to Penn State they would probably have an early impact."
Carr has scored 20 or more points three times, including a high of 24 against Indiana. Stevens matched that number with 24 against Duquesne in the second game of the season. But over the last three games combined, Stevens has accounted for only 16 points on 6-of-25 shooting.
As a team during this span, the Nittany Lions have shot 30 percent in a 52-50 win over Minnesota; 38 percent in a 78-75 home loss to Indiana; and 31 percent in a 77-52 blowout loss at Purdue. In the latter, they shot only six free throws after averaging 21 attempts per game.
Shep Garner, the leading scorer (12.3), had only six points against the Boilermakers. He went 0-for-5 from beyond the arc after making four triples against the Hoosiers. Payton Banks leads the Nittany Lions in 3-point shooting (52-135, .385) while averaging 11.7 points per game.
Penn State doesn't have a senior on its roster, but it's loaded with Philly products with six players from the Philadelphia area. Garner, Carr, Stevens and freshman Nazeer Bostick all played at Roman Catholic, whose alums include Marc Jackson, Matt Goukas, Dallas Comegys and Michael Bantom.
The long-time voice of NFL films, the late John Facenda, also went to Roman Catholic.
The Nittany Lions low-post combination of 6-9, 246-pound Mike Watkins and 6-10, 235-pound Julian Moore are also part of the Philadelphia story along with head coach Patrick Chambers. Watkins, a redshirt freshman, has 54 blocks, the second most in the Big Ten behind Minnesota's Reggie Lynch.
Chambers' teams are generally known for their tough, aggressive play. This one is no different.
"They've always played hard," Gard said. "Pat has done a good job of establishing that as part of his culture. Now, he has been able to add other pieces (Carr, Stevens and Watkins). In the past, they've been so dependent on one player scoring. Now, they're more balanced."
Garner, Banks, Stevens and Carr are in double figures. Watkins is close (9.8 points per game). In Big Ten games only, Josh Reaves is averaging 10 points. Reaves is also the conference leader in steals overall (2.5). In league games only, Happ is No. 1 (2.5) followed by Reaves (2.4).
Penn State is averaging 14.3 assists, a noticeable upgrade from last season.
"They're sharing the ball," said Gard, "and they're playing well together."
