The Wisconsin Badgers somehow continued to maintain their reputation as a team which is at the center of college basketball’s most important conversations and its biggest events. The team did not make the Final Four last year with a veteran roster which had hoped to reach college basketball’s holy grail, but it did rebound well enough to make the Sweet 16 as a No. 8 seed.
The Badgers stunned top-seeded Villanova to make their way back to the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight season – no other program in college basketball can say the same thing. Wisconsin struggled greatly in the regular season and had to briefly worry whether it was even going to make the NCAA Tournament. Yet, once the Badgers got there, they played their best. It took an improbable last-second three-pointer from the Florida Gators to knock them out of the NCAA Tournament. They came within a whisker of the Elite Eight.
Wisconsin has set a very high standard, and though not everything last season went according to plan, the team played its best in March.
Offseason Changes
Everything changes this year for coach Greg Gard, who inherited a loaded roster left behind by his predecessor and mentor, Bo Ryan. The collection of Nigel Hayes, Bronson Koenig, and Zak Showalter formed the backbone of recent Wisconsin teams which went deep into the NCAA Tournament, is gone. Hayes was a superb defender and rebounder and team leader. Koenig was a rock-solid ballhandling guard who could be deadly from three-point range and hit tons of big shots for Wisconsin last season and in previous years. Showalter was a tenacious defender who helped Wisconsin maintain considerable defensive integrity. Replacing any of these players as individuals will be difficult; replacing all of them as a group will be a mammoth task.
Will Succeed If…
Nate Reuvers becomes an impactful freshman, with Kobe King pitching in as well. Wisconsin needs bodies. The Badgers need as many players as possible to contribute to the cause after the mass exodus of players who carried so much of the workload in previous seasons. The program will have a lot more new blood this season, and it is important for those fresh faces to immediately integrate into the program and show Gard, the coach, that they can make significant productive additions to the Badgers. If Wisconsin gets these value-added contributions, it can realize and maximize its potential.
Won’t Succeed If…
Ethan Happ doesn’t get enough help. Happ is the unquestioned star of this team. He is one of the five best players in the Big Ten and probably the best low-post player in the league. Happ is formidably skilled at both ends of the floor. He will command attention from defenses and thwart opponents when they try to attack the rim. He will be good – he will post his stats. The big question is about the supporting cast. Gard is probably uncertain about exactly what he’ll expect this season. If the roster doesn’t surround Happ with an appreciable level of skill, this project could go off the rails for Wisconsin.
Roster
D’Mitrik Trice
Brevin Pritzl
Aleem Ford
Walt McGrory
Matt Ferris
Aaron Moesch
Andy Van Vliet
Trevor Anderson
Charles Thomas IV
T.J. Schlundt
Khalil Iverson
Ethan Happ
Kobe King
Alex Illikainen
Michael Ballard
Brad Davison
Nate Reuvers
Schedule & Outlook
The non-conference slate is challenging, with Xavier, Baylor, Marquette, Virginia and Temple on the docket. The tests start early as No. 17 Xavier will be their third game of the year followed immediately by No. 24 Baylor.
With all the roster losses this season, Gard and the Badgers will have their work cut out for them. They will have a hard time finishing in the top tier of the Big Ten. They will have a hard time making the NCAA Tournament. Yet, they should still make their way into the top 10 of the Big Ten, probably being good enough to remain in the bubble conversation. Whether they can be a part of March Madness once again is very much up in the air.
The 2018 March Madness futures are out. There has been plenty of news to keep up with in the offseason but keep an eye on the betting lines as they move around at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest college basketball betting lines right here.
