MADISON, Wis. -- Prior to Wisconsin’s 77-60 win over Syracuse in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Tuesday night, a young man in a fashionable black vest and a pair of sleek Steve Maddens, gazed from the front row as the two teams prepared for their matchup at the Kohl Center.
The NBA scout, one of 10 in the building, represented a team that will probably pick high in next summer’s NBA draft.
He flew into Madison to see Tyler Lydon and Tyler Roberson, a pair of Syracuse forwards many envision as potential first-round picks.
He also discussed Nigel Hayes, the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year who withdrew from last summer’s NBA draft. “I just want to see Nigel,” he said, “take his game to the next level.”
He did not say anything about Ethan Happ, who finished Tuesday’s game with a monstrous 24 points (10-for-12 shooting), 13 rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal, along with four turnovers.
He did not mention the 6-foot-10 sophomore from Milan, Illinois, a town so small and anonymous, Happ is already listed as one of its three most famous natives on Wikipedia.
The scout did not ask about the relentless forward who outplayed Lydon and Roberson -- 4-for-11 combined -- and the others who tried to challenge him after he bought a piece of land in the middle of Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim’s zone, set up camp and started a fire.
Happ is a versatile youngster who collected 13 points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocks last week against a North Carolina frontcourt with a strong argument as the nation’s best. In high school, he hoped to join Illinois, his family’s favorite program, but picked Wisconsin after Illini coach John Groce asked him to remain patient and wait for an offer.
Life as a sidebar is not abnormal for Happ, the third Jonas brother (Joe) in conversations about Wisconsin’s potential that tend to center on the production of Hayes and guard Bronson Koenig. Those two inherited the throne at the Kohl Center once Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky turned pro in 2015 following back-to-back trips to the Final Four.
Hayes and Koenig helped those teams, while Happ battled Kaminsky and Dekker as a freshman in 2014-15, who could only dream of competing in a real game for the Badgers because he redshirted that season.
Last year, he won Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors.
This season, he’s producing at an All-Big Ten level.
He entered Tuesday’s game shooting 65.5 percent inside the arc and ranked 30th in the county in offensive rebounding rate, per KenPom.com.
The Badgers attacked Syracuse’s 2-3 zone at all three levels on the floor. Koenig (20 points, 6-for-9 from the 3-point line) burned the Orange from the perimeter, Hayes (9 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds) attacked from the midrange and passed to his shooters on the edges. Happ feasted underneath the basket against Syracuse’s big men, who could find him but failed to adjust as he pivoted, finished on both sides of the rim and exploited the creases throughout the game.
"If you watch the tape, it’s [Hayes] getting me the ball," said Happ, who also collected 18 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks in a win at Syracuse in last season’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge. "Yeah, shout out, 'Nige'.'"
Added Hayes: "He’s ready at a moment’s notice to catch the ball and finish strong."
Wisconsin coach Greg Gard called the trio’s potency the inside-outside "chess match" he can employ, which the win over Syracuse proved.
He said Happ is still the same promising underclassman he was a season ago. But he’s now more confident and that has impacted his progress.
"I think he’s getting better because his confidence is growing," Gard said. "But he was inconsistent at times [last season]. A lot of that was confidence-driven. I think right now, his experience from last year prohibits him from having a lot of ups and downs. … He’s playing like a sophomore that has a year of experience under his belt."
The truth behind Wisconsin’s two losses this season is not hard to decipher.
The Badgers lost to Creighton, a program with a top-five backcourt, after connecting on just 28 percent of their shots inside the arc and committing 16 turnovers at the rowdy CenturyLink Center, a poor formula for any team that expects to leave Omaha, Nebraska, with a win.
And then they lost to North Carolina last week at the Maui Invitational.
Name three teams that would defeat the Tar Heels on a neutral court right now. … Don’t waste your time. You can’t.
Tuesday’s offering, however, renewed the Badgers' standing as a potential Big Ten champion and more if they play with the cohesiveness they displayed against Syracuse -- a vibe they’ll need against future opponents who won’t play a futile 2-3 zone all night.
To get there, they’ll need Hayes, the rock of this program. They’ll need Koenig, the point guard and catalyst.
And they’ll need Happ, who continues to evolve into one of the Big Ten’s most critical pieces.
"He’s our inside presence," Hayes said after the game.
Late in the second half, after Happ and his teammates had solved the Syracuse defense for the second consecutive season -- the Badgers made 47.8 percent of their 3-point attempts and outscored Syracuse 18-8 on second-chance points -- the young NBA scout who initially focused on the Orange relayed a message.
"I like Happ."
He’s not the only one.