2017–18 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team
American college basketball season
The 2017–18 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season . The Badgers were led by third-year head coach Greg Gard and played their home games at the Kohl Center as members of the Big Ten Conference . They finished the season 15–18, 7–11 in Big Ten play to finish in ninth place. They defeated Maryland [ 1] in the second round of the Big Ten tournament before losing to Michigan State in the quarterfinals.[ 2] The Badgers failed to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1998 , ending their streak at 19 years.[ 3]
Previous season
The Badgers finished the 2016–17 season 27–10, 12–6 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for second place. They defeated Indiana and Northwestern in the Big Ten tournament , but lost to Michigan in the championship game. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament , their 19th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, as a No. 8 seed in the East region. The Badgers defeated Virginia Tech in the First Round[ 4] and upset No. 1 overall seed Villanova to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the fourth consecutive year.[ 5] In the Sweet Sixteen, they lost to 20th-ranked Florida .[ 6]
Offseason
Departures
Recruiting classes
2017 recruiting class
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
Commit date
Kobe King PG
La Crosse, WI
La Crosse Central High School
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
160 lb (73 kg)
Sep 16, 2015
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN grade: 81
Nate Reuvers PF
Lakeville, MN
Lakeville North High School
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
May 18, 2016
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN grade: 83
Brad Davison PG
Osseo, MN
Maple Grove High School
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
Jul 11, 2016
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN grade: 81
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note : In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.
Sources:
2018 recruiting class
US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
Commit date
Joe Hedstrom C
Minnetonka, MN
Hopkins High School
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
Oct 11, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : ESPN grade: N/A
Taylor Currie PF
Clarkston, MI
Clarkston High School
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
Oct 31, 2017
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN grade: N/A
Tai Strickland PG
Tampa, FL
St. Petersburg High School
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
Mar 27, 2018
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN grade: 79
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout : NR Rivals : NR ESPN : NR
Note : In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.
Sources:
New Zealand/Australia trip
The Badgers undertook trip to New Zealand and Australia where they played five games against New Zealand and Australia professional teams.[ 7] The 12-day trip began August 12, 2017 and helped determine the roster as the Badgers look to replace four departing seniors from last year.[ 8] The Badgers won four of the five games they played on the trip. A different player led Wisconsin in scoring in each of the games and none of them was first-team All-Big Ten forward Ethan Happ, who did average 12.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.4 steals.[ 9] Coach Greg Gard was impressed by the balanced scoring of his team on the trip.[ 10]
Preseason
Wisconsin junior forward Ethan Happ was selected as a first team All-American by the Blue Ribbon Yearbook in its annual preseason publication.[ 11]
Roster
2017–18 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Previous school
Hometown
G
0
D'Mitrik Trice
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
177 lb (80 kg)
So
Wayne High School (OH)
Huber Heights, Ohio
G
1
Brevin Pritzl
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
197 lb (89 kg)
RS So
De Pere High School
De Pere, Wisconsin
F
2
Aleem Ford
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
RS Fr
Archer High School
Lawrenceville, Georgia
G
3
Walt McGrory (W)
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
Fr
Edina High School
Edina, Minnesota
G
4
Matt Ferris (W)
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
RS Jr
Xavier High School (WI)
Appleton, Wisconsin
F
5
Aaron Moesch
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
RS Sr
Green Bay Southwest High School
Green Bay, Wisconsin
F
11
Andy Van Vliet
7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
228 lb (103 kg)
Jr
Antwerp Giants
Antwerp, Belgium
G
12
Trevor Anderson (W)
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
196 lb (89 kg)
So
Stevens Point H.S. /UW-Green Bay
Stevens Point, Wisconsin
F
15
Charles Thomas IV
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
255 lb (116 kg)
Jr
River Hill High School
Highland, Maryland
G
20
T. J. Schlundt (W)
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
197 lb (89 kg)
RS Jr
St. John's Northwestern Military Academy
Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
G/F
21
Khalil Iverson
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
Jr
Rutherford B. Hayes High School (OH)
Delaware, Ohio
F
22
Ethan Happ
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
235 lb (107 kg)
RS Jr
Rockridge High School
Milan, Illinois
G
23
Kobe King
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
203 lb (92 kg)
Fr
La Crosse Central High School
La Crosse, Wisconsin
F
25
Alex Illikainen
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
231 lb (105 kg)
Jr
Brewster Academy
Grand Rapids, Minnesota
G
31
Michael Ballard (W)
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
197 lb (89 kg)
RS Fr
Fenwick High School (IL)
Oak Park, Illinois
G
34
Brad Davison
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
Fr
Maple Grove High School
Maple Grove, Minnesota
F
35
Nate Reuvers
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
Fr
Lakeville North High School
Lakeville, Minnesota
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on
Roster
Schedule and results
Date time, TV
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Site (attendance) city, state
Australia/New Zealand exhibition trip
Aug 15, 2017 *3:00 am
at New Zealand Breakers (NBL )
W 85–75
–
28 – Pritzl
11 – Happ
3 – Tied
Sky City Breakers Complex Auckland, New Zealand
Aug 17, 2017 *1:30 am
vs. New Zealand Breakers (NBL)
W 87–53
–
14 – Van Vliet
7 – Van Vliet
5 – Anderson
Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre Tauranga, New Zealand
Aug 19, 2017 *1:00 am
vs. Hawthorn Magic (Big V )
W 75–68
–
18 – King
7 – Van Vliet
3 – Reuvers
Trinity Grammar School (1,000)Melbourne, Australia
Aug 20, 2017 *12:00 am
vs. Melbourne United (NBL)
L 89–90
–
19 – Trice
5 – Trice
4 – Trice
Casey Basketball Stadium Casey , Melbourne, Australia
Aug 22, 2017 *5:30 am
vs. Sydney Kings (NBL)
W 83–71
–
23 – Davison
9 – Happ
7 – Happ
Bankstown Basketball Stadium (612)Sydney, Australia
Exhibition
Nov 1, 2017 *7:00 pm, BTN+
Northern Iowa Team Rubicon benefit exhibition
W 69–38
–
15 – King
7 – Happ
2 – 4 tied
Kohl Center (17,287)Madison, WI
Nov 5, 2017 *4:00 pm, BTN+
UW Stout
W 85–56
–
17 – King
7 – 2 tied
3 – 2 tied
Kohl Center (17,287)Madison, WI
Regular season
Nov 10, 2017 *6:00 pm, BTN+
South Carolina State CBE Hall of Fame Classic
W 85–50
1–0
20 – Happ
11 – Happ
5 – Trice
Kohl Center (17,287)Madison, WI
Nov 12, 2017 *5:00 pm, BTN
Yale CBE Hall of Fame Classic
W 89–61
2–0
17 – Iverson
11 – Happ
3 – Iverson
Kohl Center (17,287)Madison, WI
Nov 16, 2017 *7:30 pm, FS1
No. 15 Xavier Gavitt Tipoff Games
L 70–80
2–1
21 – Happ
6 – Iverson
8 – Happ
Kohl Center (17,287)Madison, WI
Nov 20, 2017 *8:30 pm, ESPN2
vs. No. 22 Baylor CBE Hall of Fame Classic Semifinals
L 65–70
2–2
23 – Happ
13 – Happ
5 – Iverson
Sprint Center (10,234)Kansas City, MO
Nov 21, 2017 *6:30 pm, ESPN3
vs. No. 23 UCLA CBE Hall of Fame Classic consolation
L 70–72
2–3
19 – Happ
9 – Happ
5 – Happ
Sprint Center (10,160)Kansas City, MO
Nov 24, 2017 *8:00 pm, BTN
Milwaukee
W 71–49
3–3
19 – Davison
8 – Happ
5 – Ford
Kohl Center (17,287)Madison, WI
Nov 27, 2017 *8:00 pm, ESPN2
at No. 18 Virginia ACC–Big Ten Challenge
L 37–49
3–4
14 – Happ
8 – Happ
2 – Trice
John Paul Jones Arena (13,911)Charlottesville, VA
Dec 2, 2017 4:00 pm, FOX
Ohio State
L 58–83
3–5 (0–1)
16 – Davison
6 – Happ
3 – Davison
Kohl Center (17,287)Madison, WI
Dec 4, 2017 6:00 pm, ESPN2
at Penn State
W 64–63
4–5 (1–1)
16 – Iverson
10 – Happ
3 – Tied
Bryce Jordan Center (6,730)University Park, PA
Dec 6, 2017 *8:00 pm, ESPNU
at Temple
L 55–59
4–6
23 – Happ
6 – Happ/Iverson
4 – Trice
Liacouras Center (6,713)Philadelphia, PA
Dec 9, 2017 *11:00 am, FS1
Marquette Rivalry
L 63–82
4–7
20 – Davison
9 – Happ
4 – Tied
Kohl Center (17,287)Madison, WI
Dec 13, 2017 *7:00 pm, FS1
Western Kentucky
W 81–80
5–7
17 – Tied
5 – Ford
6 – Happ
Kohl Center (17,287)Madison, WI
Dec 23, 2017 *4:30 pm, BTN
Green Bay
W 81–60
6–7
18 – Davison
8 – Happ
4 – Pritzl
Kohl Center (17,287)Madison, WI
Dec 27, 2017 *8:00 pm, ESPNU
Chicago State
W 82–70
7–7
18 – Happ
12 – Happ
6 – Happ
Kohl Center (17,287)Madison, WI
Dec 30, 2017 *3:00 pm, BTN
UMass Lowell
W 82–53
8–7
18 – Tied
7 – Tied
6 – Davison
Kohl Center (17,287)Madison, WI
Jan 2, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN
Indiana
W 71–61
9–7 (2–1)
28 – Happ
10 – Happ
4 – Happ
Kohl Center (17,287)Madison, WI
Jan 5, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN2
at Rutgers
L 60–64
9–8 (2–2)
13 – Tied
10 – Happ
5 – Davison
Louis Brown Athletic Center (5,709)Piscataway, NJ
Jan 9, 2018 7:30 pm, BTN
at Nebraska
L 59–63
9–9 (2–3)
15 – Happ
11 – Happ
5 – Davison
Pinnacle Bank Arena (13,497)Lincoln, NE
Jan 16, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN
at No. 3 Purdue
L 50–78
9–10 (2–4)
15 – Happ
7 – Iverson
7 – Happ
Mackey Arena (14,804)West Lafayette, IN
Jan 19, 2018 8:00 pm, FS1
Illinois
W 75–50
10–10 (3–4)
18 – Davison
10 – Happ
5 – Happ
Kohl Center (17,287)Madison, WI
Jan 23, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN2
at Iowa
L 67–85
10–11 (3–5)
21 – Happ
10 – Happ
5 – Happ
Carver–Hawkeye Arena (11,563)Iowa City, IA
Jan 26, 2018 7:00 pm, FS1
at No. 6 Michigan State
L 61–76
10–12 (3–6)
23 – Happ
7 – Happ
4 – Tied
Breslin Center (14,797)East Lansing, MI
Jan 29, 2018 8:00 pm, BTN
Nebraska
L 63–74
10–13 (3–7)
25 – Happ
11 – Happ
6 – Happ
Kohl Center (17,287)Madison, WI
Feb 1, 2018 7:30 pm, FS1
Northwestern
L 52–60
10–14 (3–8)
15 – Iverson
9 – Iverson
4 – Happ
Kohl Center (17,287)Madison, WI
Feb 4, 2018 12:00 pm, CBS
at Maryland
L 63–68
10–15 (3–9)
18 – Happ
9 – Happ
3 – Happ
Xfinity Center (15,810)College Park, MD
Feb 8, 2018 8:00 pm, BTN
at Illinois
W 78–69
11–15 (4–9)
27 – Happ
9 – Iverson
8 – Happ
State Farm Center (13,062)Chmapign, IL
Feb 11, 2018 12:00 pm, CBS
No. 20 Michigan
L 72–83
11–16 (4–10)
29 – Happ
7 – Happ
7 – Iverson
Kohl Center (17,287)Madison, WI
Feb 15, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN
No. 6 Purdue
W 57–53
12–16 (5–10)
21 – Happ
12 – Happ
3 – Pritzl
Kohl Center (17,287)Madison, WI
Feb 19, 2018 8:00 pm, FS1
Minnesota
W 73–63 OT
13–16 (6–10)
20 – Pritzl
12 – Iverson
5 – Happ
Kohl Center (17,287)Madison, WI
Feb 22, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN2
at Northwestern
W 70–64
14–16 (7–10)
19 – Happ
7 – Happ
6 – Davison
Allstate Arena (7,033)Rosemont, IL
Feb 25, 2018 12:00 pm, CBS
No. 2 Michigan State
L 63–68
14–17 (7–11)
30 – Davison
9 – Pritzl
2 – 2 tied
Kohl Center (17,287)Madison, WI
Big Ten tournament
Mar 1, 2018 11:00 am, BTN
(9)
vs. (8) Maryland Second round
W 59–54
15–17
14 – Happ
7 – Happ
2 – Davison
Madison Square Garden New York City, NY
Mar 2, 2018 11:00 am, BTN
(9)
vs. (1) No. 2 Michigan State Quarterfinals
L 60–63
15–18
22 – Happ
5 – Iverson
5 – Davison
Madison Square Garden New York City, NY
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP Poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in
Central Time .
Player statistics
Updated through February 16, 2018
Individual player statistics[ 12]
Minutes
Scoring
Total FGs
3-point FGs
Free-Throws
Rebounds
Player
GP
GS
Tot
Avg
Pts
Avg
FG
FGA
Pct
3FG
3FA
Pct
FT
FTA
Pct
Off
Def
Tot
Avg
A
TO
Blk
Stl
Ballard, Michael
1
0
1
1.0
0
0.0
0
0
.000
0
0
.000
0
0
.000
0
0
0
0.0
0
0
0
0
Davison, Brad
28
24
854
30.5
321
11.5
98
244
.402
49
138
.355
76
94
.809
6
54
60
2.1
66
55
1
35
Ferris, Matt
6
0
8
1.3
2
0.3
1
1
1.000
0
0
.000
0
0
.000
1
2
3
0.5
0
2
0
0
Ford, Aleem
28
17
660
23.6
162
5.8
52
122
.426
39
87
.448
19
24
.792
16
64
80
2.9
22
23
4
6
Happ, Ethan
28
28
851
30.4
512
18.3
211
395
.534
1
11
.091
89
161
.553
69
168
237
8.5
108
81
26
39
Illikainen, Alex
21
0
155
7.4
17
0.8
6
15
.400
5
10
.500
0
3
.000
9
13
22
1.0
10
4
3
0
Iverson, Khalil
28
28
826
29.5
239
8.5
90
168
.536
0
23
.000
59
85
.694
46
91
137
4.9
52
59
28
23
King, Kobe
10
0
190
19.0
52
5.2
21
46
.457
7
21
.333
3
3
1.000
8
6
14
1.4
6
3
2
2
McGrory, Walt
9
0
72
8.0
5
0.6
0
5
.000
0
3
.000
5
7
.714
0
8
8
0.9
4
7
0
4
Moesch, Aaron
22
0
144
6.5
26
1.2
7
9
.778
2
2
1.000
10
11
.909
3
10
13
0.6
7
5
0
3
Pritzl, Brevin
27
17
750
27.8
235
8.7
77
195
.395
40
121
.331
41
49
.837
26
73
99
3.7
31
16
4
20
Reuvers, Nate
23
12
382
16.6
130
5.7
50
125
.400
12
38
.316
18
20
.900
17
33
50
2.2
16
25
23
5
Schlundt, T.J.
22
0
189
8.6
22
1.0
8
36
.222
6
27
.222
0
0
.000
6
9
15
0.7
6
3
2
4
Thomas IV, Charlie
19
0
109
5.7
20
1.1
9
23
.391
0
6
.000
2
5
.400
9
21
31
1.6
4
4
1
0
Trice, D'Mitrik
10
10
315
31.5
94
9.4
35
92
.380
12
40
.300
12
17
.706
2
18
20
2.0
23
13
1
6
Van Vliet, Andy
13
4
94
7.2
44
3.4
13
28
.464
8
15
.533
10
14
.714
4
16
20
1.5
1
3
3
1
Team
Total
28
5600
1881
67.2
678
1504
.451
181
542
.334
344
493
.698
252
619
871
31.1
356
316
98
148
Opponents
28
5600
1865
66.6
681
1476
.461
160
449
.356
343
463
.741
216
635
851
30.4
328
322
103
157
References
^ Stubbs, Roman (March 1, 2018). "In the end, this Maryland basketball season is defined by a bungled inbounds play" . Washington Post . ISSN 0190-8286 . Retrieved March 12, 2018 .
^ Alter, Marlowe (March 1, 2018). "Michigan State beats Wisconsin, 63-60, in Big Ten tournament quarters" . Detroit Free Press . Retrieved March 12, 2018 .
^ "NCAA streak ends, but late surge bodes well for Wisconsin" . USA Today . Associated Press. March 3, 2018. Retrieved March 12, 2018 .
^ Baer, Jack (March 17, 2017). "Recap: Wisconsin prevails against Virginia Tech 84-74 thanks to Bronson Koenig's historic night in 2017 NCAA Tournament" . Land of 10 . Retrieved March 12, 2018 .
^ "Defending champ Villanova bounced by Wisconsin in second round" . ESPN . Associated Press. March 18, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2018 .
^ Chase, Chris (March 25, 2017). "Buzzer beaters! Florida and Wisconsin trade last-second shots in wild Sweet 16 thriller" . Fox Sports . Retrieved March 12, 2018 .
^ "Badgers Down Under: what you need to know" . University of Wisconsin. July 10, 2017. Retrieved August 11, 2017 .
^ "College basketball: Wisconsin takes trip Down Under with team in transition" . NCAA. August 11, 2017. Retrieved August 11, 2017 .
^ Temple, Jesse (August 23, 2017). "Wisconsin basketball: 5 things we learned from Badgers' overseas exhibitions" . Land of 10. Retrieved August 24, 2017 .
^ Polzin, Jim (August 23, 2017). "Badgers men's basketball: Greg Gard says overseas trip was a benefit to his team" . Wisconsin State Journal . Retrieved August 24, 2017 .
^ Dortch, Chris (September 18, 2017). "Arizona Tops Blue Ribbon's 37th Annual Preseason Rankings" . Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook. Retrieved September 20, 2017 .
^ "2017-18 Men's Basketball Cumulative Statistics" . University of Wisconsin-Madison. Retrieved February 16, 2018 .
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons Helms and Premo-Porretta national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearance in italics; NCAA championships in bolded italics