Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin has had a relatively good season so far this year, but they’ll have to replace the biggest key for that success in Ethan Happ. Say what you want about his abysmal free throw shooting, but Happ is still one of the most productive Big Ten players ever. Wisconsin will also be losing Khalil Iverson, another starter that played key minutes for the Badgers all year.
Looking at Wisconsin’s recruiting class, it is quite thin. It only contains of 6’7″ F Tyler Wahl. The Minnesota native provides great versatility and length for the Badgers. The best part is that he can play the PF position and can help replace some of Happ’s production, even though he is listed as a SF by outlets like 247Sports for now.
Yes, Wisconsin’s front-court might seem a little crowded to begin with. There will be 3 new contributors in the front-court for Wisconsin next season in addition to Wahl: current freshmen F Taylor Currie and C Joe Hedstrom (who both redshirted this season) and OSU transfer C Micah Potter. They will join key contributors Aleem Ford and Nate Reuvers in that position group. Despite that obvious depth though, there is a ton of uncertainty there as well. That is why it was an excellent need-based pickup by Greg Gard to add Wahl to the mix, as no one player on that roster could replace Happ by themselves. It will have to be done by committee, at least for now.
The class, which looks to be wrapped up, does seem a little underwhelming at first glance. But once you really look at how all the pieces fit, Gard didn’t really need much more than this. He added another body to a front-court that is losing one of the Big Ten’s most productive players, while already having a young back-court that is set for a couple years. Need-wise, this cycle seems to be concluding with no glaring holes left, despite what the class rankings might lead you to believe.