WISCONSIN BADGERS

Bronson Koenig OK, expects to start at OSU

Jeff Potrykus
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
UW guard Bronson Koenig came off the bench to play 31 minutes against Maryland. He finished with nine points on 4-for-11 shooting.

MADISON - Wisconsin senior guard Bronson Koenig had better things to do Sunday afternoon than monitor his workload against Maryland.

“I didn’t know how many minutes I had played until I looked at the stat sheet after the game,” Koenig, who has been playing through a left-calf injury since last month, said after practice Tuesday. “I was kind of surprised and surprised at how good I felt.”

Koenig, who had been held out of the Michigan game three days earlier, played 31 minutes in UW’s 71-60 victory over Maryland. That total was higher than five of his first 12 Big Ten games.

The next surprise came long after the game when Koenig tested his leg.

“I actually felt great,” he said. “It wasn’t sore.”

Koenig, who came off the bench against Maryland, expects to be back in the starting lineup when UW (22-5, 11-3 Big Ten) faces Ohio State (15-13, 5-10) at 8 p.m. Thursday in Columbus.

UW must win to move back into a first-place tie with Purdue (23-5, 12-3), a 74-70 overtime winner over Penn State on Tuesday.

Koenig suffered the injury in UW’s seventh Big Ten game - during an 82-55 victory over Penn State on Jan. 24. Koenig hit 4 of 9 three-pointers and 8 of 13 shots overall and finished with 20 points.

His Big Ten numbers at that point were 57.5% from three-point range (27 of 40) and 51.5% overall (35 of 68).

Koenig played through the injury for the next five games, four of which UW won.

His numbers slumped. During the five-game run, Koenig shot 22.6% from three-point range (7 of 31) and 25.5% overall (14 of 55).

Despite those struggles, Koenig hit several key shots to help UW avoid losses.

His three-pointer with 32 seconds left in regulation against Rutgers helped the Badgers to force overtime. They eventually prevailed, 61-54.

He contributed 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists in a 60-55 victory over Indiana.

His three-pointer with 1 minute 27 seconds left in overtime at Nebraska forged a tie and UW went on to win, 70-69. Koenig finished with 12 points that night, critical because Nebraska limited Ethan Happ to eight points and nine shots.

After Koenig struggled to move well in a loss to Northwestern, UW’s medical staff decided to hold him out at Michigan.

“As a medical staff we will never put anybody at risk,” trainer Henry Perez-Guerra said.

Koenig wanted to suit up at Michigan.

“I never want to miss a game,” said Koenig, who acknowledged previously he aggravated the injury several times. “That was my first time. It was definitely weird watching from the sidelines.”

Koenig wasn’t cleared to play against Maryland until shortly before tip-off.

He came off the bench but didn’t look comfortable in the first half. Koenig missed his lone three-point attempt and missed two other shots in 14 minutes in the opening half.

“I wasn’t trying to rush my shot in the first half and force anything,” he said. “I was just trying to let the game come to me. And once that first three finally went down it was a big relief.”

Koenig hit 1 of 4 three-pointers and 4 of 8 shots after halftime but still isn’t fully recovered from the injury.

“Rest is key at any point of the season but especially at this point,” he said. “I don’t think anybody is really 100%....

“I feel like if I just keep doing what I’m doing and not forcing anything and letting the game come to me, I feel like it is close to starting to fall consistently.”

Jeff Potrykus can be reached at jpotrykus@journalsentinel.com or twitter.com/jaypo1961.