Johnny Davis has something to show the officials. It’s a late January night in Evanston, Ill., Wisconsin leading Northwestern by five, emotions running high, and here’s his left thumb, drenched in blood after a foray into his upper nostril. Two plays ago, a wayward swipe struck a driving Davis across the face and drew no whistle. There’s your proof the National Player of the Year front-runner bleeds like everybody else. Davis waves his hand around for everyone to see as he stalks back to the huddle and composes himself. It’s too late to relitigate that particular moment, but the referees are kind enough to grant a timeout, so he can tidy up.
Davis has played the hits and taken his share over the past two months. He lit up the Maui Invitational in November and became men’s college basketball’s most unflinching face, scowling his way through makes and misses, mostly makes. He’s gone from national afterthought to a candidate for every major award and a projected early selection in the NBA draft. But over the past few weeks, the Big Ten has tested that inscrutable expression, battering him on drive after drive and scheming to make his life difficult. The second half against Northwestern was full of no-calls, all while Davis visibly favored his left ankle, which he sprained five days earlier back in Madison while leading a win against Ohio State but prefers not to admit is bothering him.
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