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Wisconsin Basketball: 5 keys to a successful 2019-20 season

By Lukas Harkins

MADISON, WISCONSIN - FEBRUARY 01: D'Mitrik Trice #0 of the Wisconsin Badgers reacts in the second half against the Maryland Terrapins at the Kohl Center on February 01, 2019 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MADISON, WISCONSIN - FEBRUARY 01: D'Mitrik Trice #0 of the Wisconsin Badgers reacts in the second half against the Maryland Terrapins at the Kohl Center on February 01, 2019 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – MARCH 15: Wisconsin basketball dance team performs. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – MARCH 15: Wisconsin basketball dance team performs. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Wisconsin basketball is fresh off a strong season but graduated two key pieces. What will it take to post a successful 2019-20 season?

Wisconsin basketball safely reached the NCAA Tournament last season with a No. 5 seed. While the Badgers fell in the first round to a tough Oregon squad, the team still posted a very strong 23-11 (14-6 B10) record that deserves to be recognized. Star senior Ethan Happ led the way on both ends of the floor by pacing the team offensively and locking down the paint defensively. Looking ahead to this coming season, though, the program will need to quickly move past the “Happ Era” of the program. He was absolutely tremendous for four years but graduated after this past campaign.

In addition to Happ, the Badgers waved goodbye to longtime rotation piece Khalil Iverson due to graduation. Even though Wisconsin only lost two significant players this offseason, it would be a mistake to overlook how vital they were to success. Happ and Iverson were arguably the team’s two best defenders last year and both held down full-time starting roles. While Happ’s departure is obviously going to be the one making headlines, Iverson was the ultimate “glue guy” for this team with his versatile defending and high-level finishing.

The duo combined to average 24.2 points, 14.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game while both shot well over 50% from the field. This is coming on a team that only averaged 65.3 points per game in total. It is clear that the Badgers’ philosophy will likely need to change this season without Happ. Iverson’s graduation is also quite detrimental. With that said, though, the Badgers do return every other key roster member and bring in a couple of potentially impactful players. There are mixed opinions on how Wisconsin will perform this season and that is due to several unanswered questions.

With the season slowly approaching, let’s take a dive into analyzing potential keys to success for Wisconsin basketball in the 2019-20 campaign. (Note: All statistics were found via Sports-Reference, T-Rank, or KenPom unless otherwise noted.)

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