Wisconsin basketball is looking to take a massive step forward this season and return to the Big Dance. What needs to happen in order for this to occur?
With every single major contributor returning (plus some newcomers) from last season, Wisconsin basketball looks poised for a much better season. How much better, though, depends on the work put in by the coaching staff and individuals over the course of the offseason. The Badgers struggled for much of last season due to a lack of identity as well as some decimating injuries.
Now, with everyone healthy and ready to go for the new campaign, it will be interesting to see the strides taken by the entire roster. The 2017-18 season ended with the Badgers missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 20 years. Overall, the team posted a disappointing 15-18 (7-11 Big Ten) record and will be looking to turn the tide this time around.
At the forefront of this will clearly be rising senior Ethan Happ. Arguably a top-25 player in the entire nation, Happ is a two-way center who posts double-doubles with relative ease. Around him, though, there are still plenty of question marks. Even with the full roster returning from last season, it is always difficult for a team to jump into the NCAA Tournament discussion after spending the entire prior season completely off of the bubble radar. However, it is certainly not unheard of, either.
With a few players taking steps in the right direction and the team as a whole improving, the Badgers could go dancing again. In order for that to happen, though, these three areas for improvement must be priorities over the offseason.