MADISON – Max Klesmit gladly served Marquette coach Shaka Smart and his players a generous plate of déjà vu Saturday at the Kohl Center.

The junior guard from Neenah, in his second season at UW after transferring from Wofford, reminded Smart of a former UW guard, though the ID proved to be elusive.

“Who was the really good shooter a couple years ago,” Smart asked after UW’s 75-64 victory over the third-ranked Golden Eagles. “Played here like 100 years.”

Brad Davison.

He played five seasons at UW, to be precise. But the comparison is apt.

Klesmit, like Davison, is a tough-minded player who can get white hot at any time.

“I like him as a player,” Smart said of Klesmit. “Because he is like: ‘I’m going after it. I don’t care who I’m playing against. I don’t care what anyone says. I’m going to play with a chip on my shoulder.’

“And so maybe our team can take a cure from that.”

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The level of tenacity Smart cited is standard operating procedure for Klesmit.

"I think that is what helps me out," he said. "I’ve got to play with a chip on my shoulder. Other guys on the team feed off that, which is just pouring yourself into the team."

Klesmit entered the day shooting 30.4% from three-point range 43.2% overall and averaging 6.9 points per game.

He lit up Marquette’s defense for 21 points, all in the first half, to help UW build a 46-33 lead.

Klesmit hit 5 of 8 three-pointers, 6 of 9 shots overall and 4 of 4 free throws in the half.

“That gave them just an unbelievable lift,” Smart said. “You’ve got to make a guy like that miss when he’s got it going – or before he gets it going.”

Too late.

“I always feel like that,” Klesmit said when asked if he felt good before the game Saturday. “Whether it is before the game when I wake up and eat breakfast or whenever.

“But off to a hot start like that? It’s been a while. Maybe even back to high school.”

As for the comparison between Klesmit and Davison, who played at UW from 2017-18 through 2021-22, UW’s Steven Crowl sees the reasons.

“I see a lot of Brad in Max. But they are different players and they do different things. They’re both great players and kind of the heart of our team. We all know that.

“Max did a great job today.”

As he did in UW’s 80-77 overtime victory over the Golden Eagles last season.

Klesmit that day finished with 13 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals. His contested basket in the lane with three seconds left in the game gave UW a 79-77 lead.

What went wrong for Marquette this time against Klesmit?

"Not playing defense with a level of desperation that you have to guard him with," Smart said. "It was like déjà vu."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Max Klesmit comes up big against Marquette -- again