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Wisconsin Basketball: Ethan Happ and expectations for the Badgers

By Lukas Harkins

Mar 24, 2017; New York, NY, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Ethan Happ (22) walks off the court after the game against the Florida Gators in the semifinals of the East Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2017; New York, NY, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Ethan Happ (22) walks off the court after the game against the Florida Gators in the semifinals of the East Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /
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Ethan Happ is a favorite to win Big Ten (and possibly National) Player of the Year in 2017-18, but how far can he take Wisconsin basketball?

Nobody is going to argue that Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ is one of the best players in all of college basketball. The crafty big man is a nightmare to defend inside and will be the heart and soul of the Kohl Center this upcoming season. The Wisconsin Badgers graduated Nigel Hayes, Bronson Koenig, Zak Showalter, and Vitto Brown (four starters) from their Sweet 16 run a season ago and will be a totally different team.

On a team full of those studs, Ethan Happ joined them in the starting lineup and swiftly averaged 14.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore on 58.8% shooting. As he steps to the forefront as the go-to-guy for the Badgers this upcoming season, Happ is looked at as a frontrunner to not only win the Big Ten Player of the Year Award, but is in contention for National Player of the Year as well.

The same positive things, however, cannot be said about the outlook for the entire Wisconsin Badgers team. From rankings across media sites, it seems as though the Badgers are being picked to finish between sixth and eighth in the Big Ten this upcoming season. Before diving too far into this, I would like to mention that Wisconsin has finished in a tie for fourth place of better in the Big Ten for the past 16 seasons and seeing them drop all the way to eighth would come as a surprise.

In addition, history backs up the idea that whichever team has the Player of the Year in the conference is likely to finish near the top. Looking at the last ten college basketball seasons, let’s find out where each team ranked when they had the Big Ten Player of the Year on their team:

2007-08: D.J. White and Indiana finished 14-4 and third in the conference.

2008-09: Kalin Lucas and Michigan State finished 15-3 and first in the conference.

2009-10: Evan Turner (also a National POTY) and Ohio State finished 14-4 and first in the conference.

2010-11: JaJuan Johnson and Purdue finished 14-4 and second in the conference.

2011-12: Draymond Green and Michigan State finished 13-5 and first in the conference.

2012-13: Trey Burke (also a National POTY) and Michigan finished 12-6 and fourth in the conference.

2013-14: Nik Stauskas and Michigan finished 15-3 and first in the conference.

2014-15: Frank Kaminsky (also a National POTY) and Wisconsin finished 16-2 and first in the conference.

2015-16: Denzel Valentine and Michigan State finished 13-5 and second in the conference.

2016-17: Caleb Swanigan and Purdue finished 14-4 and first in the conference.

When averaging those numbers, the team with the Player of the Year in the Big Ten has finished with an average record of 14-4 over the last ten years and finished in the top four of the conference every single season.

If Ethan Happ is going to be the guy for Wisconsin and take home the trophy, you can expect that he will lead the team to a record far more impressive than what expectations are currently being thrown around. Also, finishing sixth to eighth in the Big Ten is far from a guarantee when it comes to making the NCAA Tournament, which is what the Badgers have done every season since 1998-99.

Next: Wisconsin's success in the 2000s.

It is still early in the offseason and hard to get a gauge on which teams are going to be powerhouses, but if Ethan Happ can be the Big Ten Player of the Year, things will be looking up for the Badgers, who are being surprisingly slept on at this point.

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