4) Ethan Happ, PF, Wisconsin
Stats: 19.2 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 4.8 apg
LW: 3
Happ has been one of the best players in college basketball each of the last three years but has taken his game to another level which, in turn, has turned Wisconsin back into a top 25 team.
His season started with a triple-double against Coppin State as he showcased his improved passing with a career-high 12 assists, and that has really set the tone for the Badgers. Along with scoring at a career-high clip, Happ is serving as Wisconsin’s primary playmaker with him often finding cutting teammates or open shooters on the perimeter.
The 6-10 senior does not have much help on Wisconsin’s roster, and that showed itself in their loss to Western Kentucky and when Happ scored 34 of their 69 points in an overtime loss to Marquette. Much of the burden of success is squarely on his shoulders and he has delivered more often than not to this point.
Happ figures to stay in this range in the Player of the Year race until he faces the best teams (Michigan, Michigan State) the Big Ten has to offer. If he plays well and leads Wisconsin to a couple of wins in those games, he’ll have a real chance to follow in Frank Kaminsky’s footsteps and win some hardware.