2015–16 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team

The 2015–16 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was Bo Ryan's 15th season as head coach at Wisconsin, before he resigned 12 games into the season. On December 15, 2015, Ryan announced he would retire effective immediately leaving associate head coach Greg Gard as interim head coach. The team played their home games at the Kohl Center and were members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 22–13, 12–6 in Big Ten play to finish in a four-way tie for third place in conference. Shortly after the regular season, Greg Gard had the interim tag removed as he was announced as the permanent head coach.[1] The Badgers were upset by Nebraska in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, their 18th straight appearance in the Tournament. They defeated Pittsburgh and Xavier to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the third consecutive year. In the Sweet Sixteen, they lost to Notre Dame.

2015–16 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball
NCAA Tournament, Sweet Sixteen
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 23
2015–16 record22–13 (12–6 Big Ten)
Head coach
Associate head coachGreg Gard
Assistant coaches
Home arenaKohl Center
(Capacity 17,287)
2015–16 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
No. 14 Indiana153 .833  278  .771
No. 2 Michigan State135 .722  296  .829
No. 18 Maryland126 .667  279  .750
No. 12 Purdue126 .667  269  .743
No. 25 Iowa126 .667  2211  .667
Wisconsin126 .667  2213  .629
Ohio State117 .611  2213  .629
Michigan108 .556  2313  .639
Northwestern810 .444  2012  .625
Penn State711 .389  1616  .500
Nebraska612 .333  1618  .471
Illinois513 .278  1519  .441
Minnesota216 .111  1120  .355
Rutgers117 .056  725  .219
2016 Big Ten Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

Previous season

The Badgers finished the 2014–15 season with a record of 36–4, 16–2 in Big Ten play to win the Big Ten regular season championship. They defeated Michigan, Purdue, and Michigan State to win the Big Ten Tournament and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. This marked the Badgers' 17th straight trip to the Tournament. In the Tournament, they defeated Coastal Carolina and Oregon to advance to their second straight Sweet Sixteen. They defeated North Carolina and Arizona to reach the school's fourth Final Four. By upsetting unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Kentucky 71–64 in the Final Four in Indianapolis, the Badgers moved on to play Duke in the National Championship Game, going for their first title in 74 years. However, Wisconsin lost the game 68–63.

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Traevon Jackson12G6'3"207SeniorWesterville, OHGraduated/Signed by Washington Wizards
Duje Dukan13F6'10"218RS SeniorDeerfield, ILGraduated/Signed by Sacramento Kings
Sam Dekker15F6'9"230JuniorSheboygan, WIDeclared for NBA draft/Drafted 18th overall by Houston Rockets
Josh Gasser21G6'4"192RS SeniorPort Washington, WIGraduated/Signed by Brooklyn Nets
Riley Dearring35G6'5"181RS SophomoreMinnetonka, MNTransferred (midseason)
Frank Kaminsky 44 F 7'0" 242 Senior Lisle, IL Graduated/Drafted 9th overall by Charlotte Hornets

2015 commitments

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Alex Illikainen
SF
Grand Rapids, MN Brewster Academy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sep 21, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Brevin Pritzl
SG
De Pere, WI De Pere 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) May 22, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Charlie Thomas
PF
Clarksville, MD River Hill 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Oct 14, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Khalil Iverson
SF
Delaware, OH Rutherford B. Hayes 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Feb 12, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Andy Van Vliet
PF
Belgium Canarias Basketball Academy 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 190 lb (86 kg) May 11, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
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:

  • "2015 Wisconsin Commitments". Rivals.com.
  • "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.com.
  • "ESPN- Wisconsin Badgers Men's Basketball Recruiting". ESPN.com.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com.
  • "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

    Roster

    2015–16 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearHometown
    G 0 Will Decorah (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)205 lb (93 kg) Jr Waunakee, WI
    G 1 Brevin Pritzl  6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg) Fr De Pere, WI
    G 2 Jordan Smith 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)181 lb (82 kg) RS Sr Orono, MN
    G 3 Zak Showalter 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)184 lb (83 kg) RS Jr Germantown, WI
    G 4 Matt Ferris (W)  6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)196 lb (89 kg) So Appleton, WI
    F 5 Aaron Moesch (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)211 lb (96 kg) RS So Green Bay, WI
    F 10 Nigel Hayes 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)240 lb (109 kg) Jr Toledo, OH
    G 11 Jordan Hill 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)178 lb (81 kg) RS So Pasadena, CA
    G 13 Jackson Bax (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)157 lb (71 kg) Fr Frankfort, IL
    F 15 Charlie Thomas 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)253 lb (115 kg) Fr Highland, MD
    G 20 T.J. Schlundt (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)194 lb (88 kg) RS Fr Oconomowoc, WI
    G/F 21 Khalil Iverson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg) Fr Delaware, OH
    F 22 Ethan Happ 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)235 lb (107 kg) RS Fr Milan, IL
    G 24 Bronson Koenig 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)193 lb (88 kg) Jr La Crosse, WI
    F 25 Alex Illikainen 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)220 lb (100 kg) Fr Grand Rapids, MN
    F 30 Vitto Brown 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)230 lb (104 kg) Jr Bowling Green, OH
    F 33 Andy Van Vliet (I) 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)203 lb (92 kg) Fr Belgium
    G 35 Riley Dearring 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)181 lb (82 kg) RS So Minnetonka, MN
    Head coach
    Assistant coach(es)

    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster

    Season news

    Greg Gard coaching the Badgers at the last home game of the season against Michigan

    The first major news of the 2015–16 season came on June 29, 2015 when head coach Bo Ryan announced he would retire at the end of the season.[2] However, on August 13, he backed away from his previous announcement, saying he will make a final decision by the end of 2015. He also said that he could coach some more seasons. The 2015–16 season might not be his final year.[3]

    On December 15, 2015, following a win over Texas A&M Corpus Christi in Madison, Ryan announced he would be retiring effective immediately. Assistant Coach Greg Gard was named as interim head coach.[4]

    Schedule and results

    Source[5]

    Date
    time, TV
    Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Exhibition
    Nov 4*
    7:00 pm
    No. 17 UW–River Falls W 101–46 
     16  Tied  10  Happ  6  Hayes  Kohl Center (17,213)
    Madison, WI
    Non-conference regular season
    Nov 13*
    8:00 pm, BTN
    No. 17 Western Illinois L 67–69  0–1
     17  Tied  7  Iverson  4  Hayes  Kohl Center (17,287)
    Madison, WI
    Nov 15*
    7:00 pm, ESPNU
    No. 17 Siena
    2K Sports Classic
    W 92–65  1–1
     23  Koenig  7  Brown  4  Tied  Kohl Center (17,287)
    Madison, WI
    Nov 17*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    North Dakota W 78–64  2–1
     17  Tied  7  Happ  7  Hayes  Kohl Center (17,287)
    Madison, WI
    Nov 20*
    4:00 pm, ESPN2
    vs. Georgetown
    2K Sports Classic semifinals
    L 61–71  2–2
     22  Hayes  10  Happ  3  Tied  Madison Square Garden (N/A)
    New York City, NY
    Nov 22*
    2:30 pm, ESPN2
    vs. VCU
    2K Sports Classic third place game
    W 74–73  3–2
     22  Koenig  10  Happ  6  Showalter  Madison Square Garden (17,287)
    New York City, NY
    Nov 25*
    7:00 pm, BTN
    Prairie View A&M W 85–67  4–2
     16  Koenig  8  Happ  7  Hayes  Kohl Center (17,287)
    Madison, WI
    Nov 29*
    1:30 pm, ESPN2
    at No. 7 Oklahoma L 48–65  4–3
     20  Hayes  11  Hayes  4  Hayes  Lloyd Noble Center (8,988)
    Norman, OK
    Dec 2*
    6:15 pm, ESPN2
    at No. 14 Syracuse
    ACC–Big Ten Challenge
    W 66–58 OT 5–3
     18  Happ  15  Happ  6  Hayes  Carrier Dome (22,360)
    Syracuse, NY
    Dec 5*
    11:30 am, CBS
    Temple W 76–60  6–3
     18  Hayes  12  Hayes  3  Tied  Kohl Center (17,287)
    Madison, WI
    Dec 9*
    8:00 pm, BTN
    Milwaukee L 67–68  6–4
     32  Hayes  15  Happ  4  Showalter  Kohl Center (17,287)
    Madison, WI
    Dec 12*
    12:30 pm, ESPN2
    Marquette
    Rivalry
    L 55–57  6–5
     15  Brown  10  Showalter  6  Hayes  Kohl Center (17,287)
    Madison, WI
    Dec 15*
    8:00 pm, BTN
    Texas A&M Corpus Christi W 64–49  7–5
     15  Tied  16  Brown  6  Hayes  Kohl Center (17,287)
    Madison, WI
    Dec 23*
    8:00 pm, BTN
    Green Bay W 84–79  8–5
     24  Hayes  9  Brown  4  Tied  Kohl Center (17,287)
    Madison, WI
    Big Ten regular season
    Dec 29
    6:00 pm, BTN
    No. 14 Purdue L 55–61  8–6
    (0–1)
     17  Hayes  7  Hayes  3  Koenig  Kohl Center (17,287)
    Madison, WI
    Jan 2
    1:00 pm, BTN
    Rutgers W 79–57  9–6
    (1–1)
     21  Showalter  10  Happ  4  Koenig  Kohl Center (17,287)
    Madison, WI
    Jan 5
    6:00 pm, ESPN
    at Indiana L 58–59  9–7
    (1–2)
     15  Tied  8  Happ  2  Koenig  Assembly Hall (14,098)
    Bloomington, IN
    Jan 9
    12:00 pm, ESPN
    No. 3 Maryland L 60–63  9–8
    (1–3)
     17  Hayes  11  Happ  3  Koenig  Kohl Center (17,287)
    Madison, WI
    Jan 12
    6:00 pm, BTN
    at Northwestern L 65–70  9–9
    (1–4)
     17  Hayes  6  Hayes  7  Showalter  Welsh-Ryan Arena (7,264)
    Evanston, IL
    Jan 17
    12:30 pm, CBS
    No. 4 Michigan State W 77–76  10–9
    (2–4)
     27  Koenig  8  Happ  4  Koenig  Kohl Center (17,287)
    Madison, WI
    Jan 21
    7:00 pm, BTN
    at Penn State W 66–60  11–9
    (3–4)
     20  Happ  11  Happ  5  Hayes  Bryce Jordan Center (7,145)
    University Park, PA
    Jan 26
    6:00 pm, ESPN
    No. 19 Indiana W 82–79 OT 12–9
    (4–4)
     31  Hayes  8  Happ  2  Hayes  Kohl Center (17,287)
    Madison, WI
    Jan 31
    6:30 pm, BTN
    at Illinois W 63–55  13–9
    (5–4)
     17  Hayes  9  Happ  2  Tied  State Farm Center (13,609)
    Champaign, IL
    Feb 4
    6:00 pm, ESPN
    Ohio State W 79–68  14–9
    (6–4)
     21  Hayes  7  Hayes  4  Showalter  Kohl Center (17,287)
    Madison, WI
    Feb 10
    6:00 pm, BTN
    Nebraska W 72–61  15–9
    (7–4)
     20  Hayes  5  Tied  3  Tied  Kohl Center (17,287)
    Madison, WI
    Feb 13
    5:30 pm, ESPN
    at No. 2 Maryland W 70–57  16–9
    (8–4)
     21  Brown  10  Happ  5  Koenig  Xfinity Center (17,950)
    College Park, MD
    Feb 18
    8:00 pm, ESPN
    at No. 8 Michigan State L 57–69  16–10
    (8–5)
     18  Happ  8  Brown  2  Tied  Breslin Center (14,797)
    East Lansing, MI
    Feb 21
    6:30 pm, BTN
    Illinois W 69–60  17–10
    (9–5)
     20  Happ  12  Happ  5  Showalter  Kohl Center (17,287)
    Madison, WI
    Feb 24
    8:00 pm, BTN
    at No. 8 Iowa W 67–59  18–10
    (10–5)
     15  Koenig  6  Tied  4  Tied  Carver–Hawkeye Arena (15,400)
    Iowa City, IA
    Feb 28
    5:00 pm, BTN
    Michigan W 68–57  19–10
    (11–5)
     19  Koenig  7  Hayes  4  Hayes  Kohl Center (17,287)
    Madison, WI
    Mar 2
    8:00 pm, BTN
    at Minnesota W 62–49  20–10
    (12–5)
     14  Koenig  10  Happ  6  Koenig  Williams Arena (12,275)
    Minneapolis, MN
    Mar 6
    6:30 pm, BTN
    at No. 15 Purdue L 80–91  20–11
    (12–6)
     30  Hayes  8  Hayes  4  Koenig  Mackey Arena (14,846)
    West Lafayette, IN
    Big Ten Tournament
    Mar 10
    8:00 pm, ESPN2
    (6) vs. (11) Nebraska
    Second round
    L 58–70  20–12
     17  Happ  8  Brown  4  Koenig  Bankers Life Fieldhouse (15,571)
    Indianapolis, IN
    NCAA Tournament
    Mar 18*
    5:50 pm, TNT
    (7 E) vs. (10 E) Pittsburgh
    First round
    W 47–43  21–12
     15  Happ  9  Happ  3  Happ  Scottrade Center (14,425)
    St. Louis, MO
    Mar 20*
    7:40 pm, TNT
    (7 E) vs. (2 E) No. 9 Xavier
    Second round
    W 66–63  22–12
     20  Koenig  8  Hayes  3  Tied  Scottrade Center (15,169)
    St. Louis, MO
    Mar 25*
    6:27 pm, TBS
    (7 E) vs. (6 E) Notre Dame
    Sweet Sixteen
    L 56–61  22–13
     14  Happ  12  Happ  3  Tied  Wells Fargo Center (20,686)
    Philadelphia, PA
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East Region.
    All times are in Central Time.

    Rankings

    Ranking movement
    Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. (RV) Received votes but unranked. (NR) Not ranked.
    PollPreWk 2Wk 3Wk 4Wk 5Wk 6Wk 7Wk 8Wk 9Wk 10Wk 11Wk 12Wk 13Wk 14Wk 15Wk 16Wk 17Wk 18Wk 19Final
    AP 17 RV NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR RV RV RV RV RV N/A
    Coaches 17 RV NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR RV RV RV 25 RV 23

    Player statistics

    Individual player statistics[6]
    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
    Bax, Jackson 3 0 2 0.7 0 0.0 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
    Brown, Vitto 35 35 888 25.4 340 9.7 130 292 .445 38 95 .400 42 55 .764 60 114 174 5.0 29 40 19 19
    Dearring, Riley 3 0 6 2.0 2 0.7 0 2 .000 0 2 .000 2 2 1.000 0 2 2 0.7 0 2 0 0
    Decorah, Will 4 0 3 0.8 0 0.0 0 1 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 1 0 1 0.3 0 1 0 0
    Happ, Ethan 35 35 982 28.1 434 12.4 163 303 .538 0 0 .000 108 168 .643 88 190 278 7.9 44 76 32 63
    Hayes, Nigel 35 35 1267 36.2 551 15.7 161 438 .368 39 133 .293 190 258 .736 69 135 205 5.8 104 79 14 39
    Hill, Jordan 30 1 467 15.6 87 2.9 33 87 .379 17 51 .333 4 6 .667 14 28 42 1.4 24 19 1 9
    Illikainen, Alex 33 0 324 9.8 71 2.2 26 63 .413 9 28 .321 10 15 .667 16 33 49 1.5 13 11 3 6
    Iverson, Khalil 34 0 443 13.0 87 2.6 33 70 .471 2 12 .167 19 36 .528 24 39 63 1.9 21 31 20 12
    Koenig, Bronson 35 35 1222 34.9 459 13.1 151 385 .392 83 213 .390 74 97 .763 13 84 97 2.8 84 52 6 14
    Moesch, Aaron 16 0 48 3.0 4 0.3 1 2 .500 0 0 .000 2 2 1.000 2 3 5 0.3 1 1 0 2
    Pritzl, Brevin 1 0 4 4.0 0 0.0 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0 1 0 0
    Schlundt, T.J. 5 0 4 0.8 0 0.0 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 1 0 0 0
    Showalter, Zak 35 35 1099 31.4 262 7.5 90 198 .455 37 107 .346 45 56 .804 26 108 134 3.8 76 48 7 36
    Smith, Jordan 8 0 9 1.1 4 0.5 1 3 .333 0 0 .000 2 3 .667 1 1 2 0.3 0 1 1 0
    Thomas, Charlie 31 0 282 9.1 72 2.3 27 73 .370 4 15 .267 14 30 .467 21 42 63 2.0 3 5 11 5
    Team 63 51 114 3.2 19
    Total 35 7050 2373 67.8 816 1917 .426 229 656 .349 512 728 .703 398 830 1228 35.1 400 386 114 205
    Opponents 35 7050 2233 63.8 794 1862 .426 201 539 .373 444 626 .709 318 803 1121 32.0 371 419 116 190
    Legend
      GP  Games played   GS  Games started  Avg  Average per game
      FG  Field-goals made  FGA  Field-goal attempts  Off  Offensive rebounds
     Def  Defensive rebounds   A  Assists   TO Turnovers
     Blk  Blocks  Stl  Steals  High  Team high

    Season highs

    Player Game Date
    Points 32 Nigel Hayes vs. MilwaukeeDecember 9, 2015
    Rebounds 16 Vitto Brown vs. Texas A&M–Corpus ChristiDecember 15, 2015
    Assists 7 Nigel Hayes vs. North DakotaNovember 17, 2015
    Nigel Hayes vs. Prairie View A&MNovember 25, 2015
    Zak Showalter at NorthwesternJanuary 12, 2016
    Steals 6 Ethan Happ vs. IllinoisFebruary 21, 2016
    Blocks 3 Khalil Iverson vs. Western IllinoisNovember 13, 2015
    Ethan Happ at SyracuseDecember 2, 2015
    Ethan Happ vs. MilwaukeeDecember 9, 2015
    Ethan Happ vs. Texas A&M–Corpus ChristiDecember 15, 2015
    Vitto Brown vs. Green BayDecember 23, 2015
    Khalil Iverson vs. XavierMarch 20, 2016

    See also

    References

    1. Potrykus, Jeff (March 7, 2016). "Wisconsin Hires Greg Gard, Gives Him Five-Year Contract". Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
    2. Goodman, Jeff (June 29, 2015). "Bo Ryan to retire after next season". ESPN. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
    3. Katz, Andy (August 13, 2015). "Badgers' Bo Ryan leaves door open for return after 2015-16 season". ESPN. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
    4. "Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan retiring; Greg Gard named interim coach". ESPN. December 15, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
    5. "2015–16 Schedule". UW Badgers. Archived from the original on October 23, 2010.
    6. "Wisconsin Combined Team Statistics". University of Wisconsin-Madison. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
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