Recap

The Wisconsin Badgers overcame a sluggish start to blow out the Green Bay Phoenix 73-59. The Badgers were led by Nigel Hayes with 24 points. Ethan Happ churned out yet another double-double, with 12 point, 10 rebounds, two steals, and a career-high six assists. Zak Showalter had his best game of the season, draining four three-pointers and nabbing six steals on his way to 16 points.

Wisconsin also played stifling defense, forcing 19 turnovers. They also held the Phoenix to their second lowest point total of the season. With that win, the Badgers improved to 10-2 on the season. They have a nine-day break before they take on Florida A&M in their last tune-up game before conference play starts.

Observations

• Ethan Happ made a jump shot! Well, not really. His feet never left the ground, and it looked like an awkward shot put. But still, it was a shot from outside the paint. The first 228 makes in his Badger career came from inside the paint, so this was a pretty big deal. Hopefully, it’s a sign of things to come.
• The difference between Wisconsin’s offense when they are playing through Ethan Happ and when they aren’t is astronomical. Even when he isn’t scoring, when he touches the ball in the post, it creates open looks for his teammates one or two passes way. When Happ is getting consistent post touches, Wisconsin’s offense looks unstoppable. I’d be really curious to see a stat that showed Wisconsin’s points per possession when Happ gets a post touch versus when he doesn’t.
• Hot Take Alert: Ethan Happ is the best player on the team. Bronson Koenig is leading the team in scoring, and Nigel Hayes is the best pro prospect on the team. But as an all-around college player, I’d take Happ over both of them. That’s not a knock on either of them either. Hayes has been fantastic lately. That’s just how high my opinion of Happ is.
• Okay, time for a non-Happ observations. This team is very unselfish. In fact, it may be one of the best passing Wisconsin teams I have ever seen. Bronson Koenig, D’Mitrik Trice, and Ethan Happ combined for 13 assists tonight, and we’ve already seen Nigel Hayes’ passing ability. Vitto Brown, Khalil Iverson, and Zak Showalter have also shown the ability to drop the occasional dime.
• Sophomore year Nigel Hayes is back! Over the last six games, Hayes has looked like an All-American. With him playing at this level, the Badgers can beat anyone in the country.

Grades