BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Mike Lucas had a front-row seat for Wisconsin's loss to Michigan State 84-74 on the road Sunday. Here is what he saw from courtside.
TRICE THE FUN FOR BROTHERS
Standing not far from the Wisconsin locker room, Travis Trice Jr. was waiting on his little brother, D'Mitrik, to shower and dress after Sunday's game in East Lansing. After playing four seasons for Tom Izzo — exiting the Michigan State program with over 1,000 career points — Trice Jr. didn't need help finding his way around the Breslin Center, his home away from home. The elder Trice brother currently lives in Australia where the playoffs just ended for his team — the Cairns Taipans of the National Basketball League.
"I literally landed (in the States) less than 24 hours ago, and I'm tired — I was ready to fall asleep during the game — but it was fun and I'm just happy that I got to see him play," Trice Jr. said of D'Mitrik, a UW freshman guard. "Actually, I got to watch as a fan today. It was weird. I was sitting over there cheering for the Spartans. But then he does something good and I cheered for him, too.
THE SKINNY ON IOWA
First, there was J-Bo (Jason Bohannon). Then, there was Z-Bo (Zach Bohannon). Both brothers played at Wisconsin. Now, there's Jor-Bo? J-Bo 2.0? J-Bo the sequel? How about Baby-Bo? That's what Jordan Bohannon is answering to in Iowa City. The youngest Bohannon, a 6-foot, 182-pound freshman, and yet another product of Linn-Mar High School in Marion, Iowa, had 24 points in the Hawkeyes' 83-69 win at Maryland. Bohannon was 8-of-10 from the 3-point line, one triple shy of Chris Kingsbury's school record. (Jason Bohannon is one of 11 players to hold the UW single-game record with seven triples).
"He knows who he is," UW assistant Lamont Paris said of Baby-Bo, "and he plays to that."
Bohannon, a 23-game starter, has the second most 3s on the team behind senior Peter Jok, the Big Ten's leading scorer (20.6 points). The 6-6, 205-pound Jok is one of the toughest players in the league to guard because of his 3-point range and ability to score off the bounce and/or draw fouls. Jok has made more free throw than anyone in the conference, going 142-for-154 (.922). In an overtime win over Indiana, Jok had 35 points and was 22-of-23 from the line.
Photo: Wisconsin Badgers
For more on Wisconsin: