In the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament, the Wisconsin Badgers did not have Bo Ryan on their bench. Everyone wondered if Greg Gard could continue to deliver the March results Ryan brought to Madison for more than a decade. Wisconsin had reached the Sweet 16 or better in four of the previous five NCAA Tournaments, and the Badgers had just made consecutive Final Fours in 2014 and 2015. As the 2016 Big Dance began, all eyes were on a new coach with a team which had scrambled and recovered well enough to get an NCAA tourney ticket, but whose prospects of going deep into the tournament were not great.
Wisconsin was a No. 7 seed which faced a tough challenge from a proven program — the Pittsburgh Panthers — and a proven head coach, Jamie Dixon. Pittsburgh didn’t make the Final Four under Dixon, but it gained No. 1 seeds in multiple seasons, reached the Elite Eight, and had established itself as a regular NCAA Tournament team, much as Wisconsin had in the 21st century. These programs could both identify with each other, having gone through many decades of mediocrity before roaring to life at the start of the century. This figured to be a tough game… and it was.
Oh, how it was.
Bronson Koenig didn’t hit a 3-pointer against Pittsburgh, marking the first time in 44 games he didn’t make at least one triple. Nigel Hayes was just 3 of 17 from the field. Wisconsin made only 4 of 19 3-pointers and missed 13 of its first 15 shots in this game. The Badgers needed over 15 minutes to score their first 10 points of the game. UW managed just 16 points in the first half.
In spite of all that… Wisconsin won.
Yes, it won.
Wisconsin limited Pitt to only three made 3-pointers and four made free throws. The Badgers were plus-5 in offensive rebounds (12-7) and plus-4 in turnover differential (6 committed, 10 forced). In a rock fight, every possession mattered… and Ethan Happ was the main influencer of these possessions.
Happ led Wisconsin in points (15), rebounds (9), and assists (3), doing everything for the Badgers. When Pittsburgh trailed 44-43 in the final minute and missed a go-ahead layup, Happ was there to get the defensive rebound and enable Wisconsin to hit three foul shots in the closing seconds to win.
Everything went wrong for Wisconsin on offense, but the Badgers’ defense and rebounding answered the call. If there were any questions about UW’s toughness in the NCAA Tournament under Greg Gard, they were answered in this game, four years ago in St. Louis.