Wisconsin Basketball: Top five performances of Ethan Happ’s career
1. Wisconsin @ Rutgers (January 28, 2017)
The most memorable game of Happ’s career came against a Rutgers team that seemed overmatched on paper. Wisconsin, however, could not get any offense going for most of the game, and the team entirely relied on Happ’s incredible performance to carry them. Happ scored what was a career high 32 points in the 61-54 overtime victory, with all of the action running through him as the Badgers came back from a 9 point defect in the second half.
Happ scored 8 of Wisconsin’s points in a 13-4 run to close regulation, and added seven more points in overtime to close out Rutgers. He was the only Wisconsin player to shoot over 50% from the field, and the team as a whole shot 33.3% (20-60). He also added two blocks and four steals, carrying the team on both ends of the floor.
Fittingly, Happ made the biggest play of the game with his team trailing 45-43 with 7 seconds remaining. Happ caught an inbounds pass on the right side of the key and used a nice jab step to get to the rim. His layup with two seconds left allowed the game to go to overtime, and Wisconsin would dominate in the extra frame.
Advanced stats show just how vital Happ’s performance was to his team’s win. Happ had a 45.1% usage rate, a 46.9% assists rate, and a 63.9 true shooting percentage, all easily leading his team. His box plus-minus was an incredible 41.5, the highest of his career.
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Though Ethan Happ’s career ended without a championship and without his name being called in the NBA Draft, he is one of the best college basketball players of the last decade. His lack of a jump-shot doesn’t make him a fit for the current style of the NBA, but that should not diminish his incredible career as a Badger. Wisconsin fans and college basketball fans as a whole will certainly miss his presence in the upcoming season.