The NCAA tournament won't be Happ-less this year. That's because after a one-year hiatus, the Wisconsin Badgers are back in the field of 68, which means All-America power forward Ethan Happ will end his brilliant career on the sport's biggest stage. But the Badgers aren't a one-man team, as Greg Gard's gang features the inside-outside offensive balance to do some tournament damage.
Happ is a low-post monster who seems like he's been a Badger for 10 years. Double-team Happ at your own risk, though, because he will see the extra defender and kick it out to D'Mitrik Trice, Nate Reuvers, Brad Davison and Brevin Pritzl to bury 3-balls. Can Happ author the perfect end to his college career by leading the Badgers on a magical March run?
ESPN+ has your answers, as Joe Lunardi has enlisted a team of bracketologists to compile advanced metrics, key scouting intel and best- and worst-case tournament scenarios for all 68 teams to help you make smart picks in your bracket.
TOURNEY PROFILE
Best wins: at Xavier, Oklahoma, Iowa (twice), vs. Michigan, vs. Maryland
Worst losses: at Western Kentucky
Regular-season conference finish: Fourth, Big Ten
Polls and metrics: By piling up Quadrant 1 wins, Wisconsin is ranked in the top 20 by the AP, the coaches, and in the all-important NET.
All-time tourney record: 38-22, four Final Fours
Coach (tourney record): Greg Gard (4-2)
PERSONNEL
(Note: Player statistics are through games of March 14.)
Starting lineup
F Nate Reuvers (7.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG)
F Ethan Happ (17.8 PPG, 10.4 RPG)
G Khalil Iverson (6.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG)
G Brad Davison (10.9 PPG, 3.3 RPG)
G D'Mitrik Trice (11.9 PPG, 2.5 APG)
Key bench players
G Brevin Pritzl (5.2 PPG, 2.4 RPG)
G Kobe King (4.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG)
F Aleem Ford (3.0 PPG, 1.8 RPG)
Biggest strengths: Gard has an efficient, pick-your-poison offense. In Happ, he has one of the most valuable players in the college game. Happ catches the ball in the low post and warrants a double-team every time. If you don't double him, he'll carve you up. If opponents double him, Happ is adept at passing out to the Badgers' cadre of long-distance shooters.
Biggest weakness: For all of his positive attributes, Happ's game has one major blemish: wayward free throw shooting (46.8 percent as a senior). It's going to be a factor at some point in the NCAAs as opposing coaches will likely employ Hack-a-Happ tactics in a close game, forcing the Wisconsin big man to knock down shots from the stripe with the game in the balance.
Best player: Happ, whose first cousin is major league pitcher J.A. Happ, is a three-time All-Big Ten player who has scored more than 2,000 career points and ripped down more than 1,000 career boards. He has the feet of a ballet dancer and NBA size, allowing him to catch the ball inside and abuse defenders with his bag of low-post tricks.
X factor: Happ gets all of the attention, but the rest of Wisconsin's starting five know their roles and play them to perfection. Davison is the team's heart and soul. Iverson has never met an opposing scorer he can't slow down. Trice and Reuvers are deadly 3-point shooters.
SCOUTING REPORT
How they beat you: The Badgers play at the pace of an over-40 league game at your neighborhood YMCA. They are never in a rush offensively, peeling 20 seconds off the timer on each trip and then leaning on Happ to either score inside or find an open 3-point bomber.
How you beat them: Playing against the Badgers is the college hoops' equivalent of root canal. You are going to play at their pace whether you like it or not. So embrace the pace, be prepared to double-team Happ, and still get out on the shooters. And if the game is close, foul the All-American and see if he can drain some pressure-packed free throws.
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY
(Note: All statistics in this section are courtesy of KenPom.com and are accurate through games of March 13.)
NATIONAL RANKS
Offensive efficiency, 47th (111.4)
Defensive efficiency, fourth (87.3)
3-point percentage, 43rd (37.4)
3-point percentage D, 28th (30.9)
Free throw rate, 299th (28.1)
Free throw rate D, 22nd (26.3)
TO percentage, seventh (14.3)
TO percentage D, 270th (17.0)
HOW FAR WILL THEY GO?
Best-case scenario: Sweet 16
The Badgers will be a tough out because of their efficient offense, low turnover rate and airtight defense. And in Happ, they have a nightly double-double threat. He'll get his points inside. If the Badgers' guards knock down enough perimeter jumpers, they're good enough to win two games in the Big Dance to send Happ out in style.
Worst-case scenario: One and done
The Badgers' methodical style of play, like Virginia in the ACC, keeps the score down and can keep both teams in the contest as long as you're mentally tough enough to play at a snail's pace. In other words, if the Badgers don't bring their A-game, they can fall victim to a shock-the-world type of upset -- like the one UMBC pulled on Virginia last March.