Big Ten Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)
By Joey Loose
7. Johnny Davis
Davis is a 6’5 wing from La Crosse, Wisconsin who found major success not too far from his hometown. He arrived in Madison in 2020 and would spend two seasons playing under Greg Gard for Wisconsin. Though he wasn’t much of a stud as a freshman, Davis took an enormous leap as a sophomore, becoming one of the nation’s very best players.
In that freshman year, Davis came off the bench and averaged just 7.0 points per game for a Badgers team that finished 18-13. With that big jump as a sophomore, Davis became one of the sport’s most valuable piece, averaging 19.7 points and 8.2 rebounds a game for those Badgers. He had a slew of standout performances, including a 37-point, 14-rebound game at Purdue, and led Wisconsin to a Big Ten regular season title.
Clearly, that sophomore year was notable. Davis was named Big Ten Player of the Year and was a First Team All-American. He also took home the Jerry West Award as the nation’s top shooting guard. Davis was not just one of the best scorers and rebounders in the conference, he had a monumental impact in Wisconsin’s conference title and was a total machine on the court. He was off to the NBA after that enormous leap as a sophomore, becoming a lottery pick in 2022.