NCAAB Betting News and Notes Tuesday, January 17th, 2017

NCAAB Knowledge

Baylor recovered from its first loss of year to win tough road game at K-State Saturday; Bears are 2-0 in Big X home games, beating Iowa St/Okla State by total of six points. Baylor is turning ball over 25.6% of time in league games, an awful lot. Baylor won four of its last six games with Texas; teams split last six series games played in Waco. Longhorns lost last three games by 9-3-2 points; leading scorer Mack is still out- they used only six guys more than 5:00 in 74-72 loss to WVa Saturday. Double digit favorites are 1-5-1 vs spread in Big X games this season.

NC State’s star PG Smith has been banged-up (check status); Wolfpack lost last three games by 51-8-10 points, allowing 89 pts/game- they’ve had very little continuity in their rotation, with eligibility/injury issues. Pitt lost its last three games by 11-5-26 points, allowing 78 pts/game; Panthers lost by 11 at Syracuse, 5 at Louisville (down 21 at half) in their two ACC road games. State won its last four games with Pittsburgh, all by 11+ points- Panthers lost 68-50 in last visit here, in ’15. ACC home favorites of 5 or less points are 6-4 vs spread this season.

Veteran Illinois squad (#51 experience) is 2-3 in Big 14 games, losing both road tilts, by 25 at Maryland, 16 at Indiana- Big 14 teams are shooting 56.6% inside arc vs Illini. Purdue is 3-2 in league, 2-1 at home, with wins by 22-11 points over Minnesota/Wisconsin- they lost at home in OT to Minnesota. Illinois-Purdue split their last six meetings; Illini lost last five games in Mackey Gym, by 10-8-15-7-8 points. Home side won five of last six series games. Double digit home favorites are 6-3 vs spread in Big 14 games this season.

Akron won its last seven games, winning its two MAC home games by 5-7 points; Zips are 14-2 in last 16 games, with losses to Creighton/Gonzaga. Ohio U is 2-3 in true road games, winning at Ga Tech/Buffalo- their road losses are by 10-1-4 points. Bobcats are best in MAC at getting to foul line, but shoot just 63.1% in MAC games, worst in league. Akron won eight of its last ten games with Ohio; they swept Bobcats by 12-15 points LY. Ohio lost 70-58/91-76 in last two visits here. Single digit home favorites are 7-5 in MAC games this year.

Young Texas Aggies (#293 in experience) are 1-4 in SEC, with 8 points closest of the five games- they split two SEC home games. Arkansas is 2-3 in SEC; 2-0 if they allow less than 80 points, 0-3 if they allow 80+. Hogs are #25 experience team in country. Aggies are turning ball over 29.2% of time in SEC games, which is very poor- they’re last in SEC in forcing turnovers. Home side won all six Texas A&M-Arkansas SEC games; Razorbacks lost three visits here, by 18-16-23 points. SEC home favorites of 5 or less points are 1-11 vs spread this year.

Young Mississippi State (#350 experience) won six of last seven games, winning last three by 17-6-8 points; Bulldogs are 3-4 vs top 100 teams- three of their four losses are by 10+ points. Kentucky is #347 in experience; they’re 5-0 in SEC, winning road games by 23 at Ole Miss, 6 at Vandy. Wildcats are shooting 42.2% on arc in conference games. Kentucky won its last nine games with Mississippi State, winning last four visits to Starkville by 6-9-10-18 points. State is forcing turnovers 21.8% of time in SEC. Double digit favorites are 5-7 in SEC games.

Wisconsin is 7-3 vs top 100 teams, 3-1 in Big 14 games, with only loss at Purdue; they’re 2-0 in Big 14 home games, beating Rutgers by 20, Ohio St by 23. Michigan is 2-3 in Big 14, 0-2 on road, losing by 3 at Iowa, 16 at Illinois. Badgers are forcing turnovers 22.6% of time in league play. Wisconsin is 6-1 in last seven games with Michigan, winning last four, three by 11+ points. Wolverines lost nine of last ten visits to Madison, losing 68-57 LY. Double digit home favorites are 6-3 against the spread in Big 14 games this season.

Boise State had 7-game win streak snapped in Fresno Saturday; they’re 4-1 in MW, tied for 1st, winning home games by 1 over Colorado St, 12 over San Diego St. New Mexico snapped 3-game skid with win at Colorado St Saturday; have they put the collapse against Nevada behind them? Boise State-New Mexico split last six meetings; Lobos won two of last three visits here, but won 88-83 in LY’s visit. Lobos get to foul line more than anyone in league; Boise puts its foes on foul line the most. Mountain West home favorites of 5+ points are 6-3 vs spread.

Georgia is 3-2 in SEC, with losses to So Carolina/Florida by total of 10 points; Dawgs lost in OT at Florida Saturday- they led by 8 in second half. Georgia is 0-5 this season vs teams in top 90. Vanderbilt won 10 of last 12 games with Georgia, but lost 70-62 in last visit here in ’15, their first loss in last four visits to Athens. Commodores lost last three games, by 3-6-12 points; they’re 1-3 in true road games, with only win by 7 at LSU. Georgia is turning ball over 21.6% of time in SEC games. SEC home favorites are 7-17 this year, 6-6 if laying 6+ points.

Ole Miss is 1-4 in SEC games, losing by 22 to Kentucky, 23 to Georgia in SEC home games. Rebels are turning ball over 23.3% of time, making just 28.8% of 3’s in league play. Tennessee is 2-3 in SEC, with both wins on road, at Texas A&M/Vandy. Vols are 3-8 vs top 100 teams; they are #334 experience team whose SEC opponents are shooting 42.7% on arc against them. Ole Miss won five of last six games with Tennessee, which lost 62-56/59-57 in last two visits to Oxford. Single digit road favorites are 4-1 vs spread in SEC games this year.

San Diego State won its last two games after a 3-game skid, allowing 58 pts/game in home wins over San Jose/Utah State. Aztecs are 0-2 on MW road, losing at Nevada/Boise- they’re 9-1 this season with an eFG% over 50%, 1-6 if it is under 50%. Five of UNLV’s last six opponents had an eFG% of 50%+. Rebels are are 2-3 in MW, losing by 14-18-16- they’ve had a week since their last game. San Diego State won its last eight games with UNLV, winning last five meetings here, by 9-8-2-3-15 points. Mountain West road favorites are 2-5 vs spread this season.

Third game in five nights for Rider squad that lost last two games by 3-6 points, after an 11-5 start to season. Broncs are 4-3 in MAAC, 2-1 on road with win at Monmouth; their road loss was by 3 at Manhattan Friday. Siena won its last three games after a 4-11 start; they’re 3-0 at home in MAAC, winning by 2-7-7 points. Rider outscored Siena 13-4 over last 5:24 to beat Saints 71-69 at home Dec 5, just second win in last seven series games for Broncs, who lost last three visits to Albany, by 15-7-11 points. MAAC home favorites of 7 or less points are 5-9 vs spread.

Manhattan won its last two games, scoring 77 pts/game after a 5-11 start; they’re 2-2 at home in MAAC, beating Rider/Niagara- they’re turning ball over far less in MAAC games than in their non-MAAC tilts. Iona lost five of last seven games, allowing 90+ points in three of last four games. Gaels are shooting 40.5% on arc in conference games. Iona won four of last five games with Manhattan, sweeping Jaspers by 14-13 points LY; Gaels won 70-67/86-73 in last two visits to Draddy Gym. MAAC home underdogs are 8-5 vs spread this season.

Armadillosports.com

Tuesday's Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com

There’s a 23-game college hoops card on tap tonight, including Big Ten, Big 12, ACC and SEC showdowns. There are four games in the SEC, a league with six RPI Top-50 schools and 12 in the Top 100. However, the conference, which has been way down for most of the last decade, has only three teams that appear to be locks to make the NCAA Tournament.

Those would be Kentucky, Florida and South Carolina, a team that’s 11-0 when star player Sindarius Thorwell has been in uniform. Then there’s Georgia, Ole Miss and Arkansas, three clubs that are perennial bubble teams.

Let’s break down UK’s game tonight, along with Michigan at Wisconsin, before getting into a bunch of national nuggets.

Kentucky at Mississippi State

Kentucky is currently ranked fifth in the nation in the AP poll and sixth in the RPI Rankings. The Wildcats are 1-2 vs. RPI Top-25 foes, 4-2 versus the Top 50 and 9-2 against the Top 100. They own neutral court wins over Michigan State (69-48) and North Carolina (103-100), in addition to two more Top-50 triumphs at Ole Miss (99-76) and vs. Arkansas (97-71). John Calipari’s team took its two defeats at home vs. UCLA (97-92) and at Louisville (73-70).

As of early this morning, most books had Kentucky (15-2 straight up, 11-6 against the spread) listed as a 13-point favorite at The Hump in Starkville. One offshore shop had the total at 159 points.

Kentucky is in a first-place tie with Florida atop the SEC standings with both schools sporting 5-0 record in league play. South Carolina is one-half game back with a 4-0 conference ledger, while Mississippi St. is in two-way tie for fourth place with Alabama. The Bulldogs and Crimson Tide owns 3-1 SEC records.

Kentucky has played three true road games, going 2-1 SU and 1-2 ATS. As noted, Cal’s squad lost by three at U of L and won easily at Ole Miss. The Wildcats won 87-81 at Vandy last Tuesday but failed to cover as 12-point road ‘chalk.’

UK is off of Saturday’s 92-72 non-covering win over Auburn as a 24.5-point home favorite. The 164 combined points dipped ‘under’ the 171-point total. Malik Monk was the catalyst for the winners, producing 24 points and six assists compared to only one turnover. The freshman guard hit 8-of-14 attempts from the field and 4-of-8 from long distance. Edrice Adebayo contributed 15 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots, while De’Aaron Fox finished with 13 points, four rebounds and five assists compared to just one turnover.

Monk is averaging a team-high 21.8 points per game while shooting at a 50.8 percent clip from the field. Monk is making 41.5 percent of his 3-pointers and 85.0 percent of his free throws. Fox (16.5 PPG) is averaging 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game with a 108/38 assists-to-turnovers ratio. Isaiah Briscoe is averaging 15.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.3 APG.

Mississippi State (12-4 SU, 8-5 ATS) is No. 98 in the RPI Rankings. The Bulldogs won their only game against an RPI Top-50 foe, capturing an 84-78 win at Arkansas. They’re 3-3 versus the Top 100, beating Texas A&M at home and winning an 80-68 decision over Boise St.

Ben Howland’s team has taken losses at home vs. Lehigh, Alabama and East Tennessee St., in addition to a neutral-court loss vs. Central Florida. Three of those defeats came by double-digit margins, while the home loss to ETSU was a two-point game (67-65).

Since losing to ETSU, MSU has won six of its last seven games. Since dropping its SEC opener at home to Avery Johnson’s team, the Bulldogs have won three in a row both SU and ATS. All three wins have come as underdogs, including Saturday’s 67-59 win over Texas A&M as three-point home puppies. Freshman center Schnider Herard led four double-figure scorers with a team-best 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 makes at the charity stripe. Lamar Peters, a freshman point guard who was a four-star pull out of New Orleans, added 14 points, five steals and four assists. He was just 1-of-7 from the field but drained all 11 shots from the free-throw line. Quinndary Weatherspoon finished with 13 points, while Aric Holman had 11 points, five boards and three blocked shots.

Mississippi State is 7-3 SU and 3-4 ATS at home this year.

Weatherspoon, a sophomore guard, is averaging 17.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He dropped 25 points on the Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena last Tuesday in MSU’ wins as a 10-point underdog.

Mississippi St. has won outright in all three games as an underdog this year. The only one not mentioned already was a 95-78 blowout win at LSU on Jan. 7 when it was catching two points in Baton Rouge.

The ‘over’ is 11-6 overall for the ‘Cats, 2-1 in their three road assignments.

The ‘over’ is 7-6 overall for the Bulldogs, but they’ve seen the ‘under’ go 4-3 in their seven home games with a total.

Michigan at Wisconsin

As of early this morning, most spots had Wisconsin (14-3 SU, 9-5 ATS) installed as an 11-point favorite while one offshore had the total at 131.

Wisconsin is undefeated in 10 home games with a 6-1 spread record. The Badgers are No. 17 in the AP poll and No. 32 in the RPI Rankings. They’re 0-3 against the Top 50, losing 79-67 at Creighton, 71-56 to UNC on a neutral floor and 66-55 at Purdue. UW has Top 100 wins at Marquette (93-84), at Indiana (75-68), vs. Ohio St. (89-66), vs. Georgetown (73-57) and vs. Tennessee (74-62). The win over the Buckeyes came in Madison, while the triumphs over the Hoyas and Volunteers came at the Maui Invitational en route to the finals before falling to the Tar Heels.

Wisconsin is in sole possession of second place in the Big Ten standings with a 3-1 conference record. Greg Gard’s team is just one-half game back of first-place Maryland with its 4-1 mark in league action. Meanwhile, Michigan is 2-3 in conference play to leave it in a three-way tie for 10th place.

Wisconsin is 4-1 ATS as a double-digit home favorite, 4-2 ATS in six overall games when it is favored by double digits.

UW is off the aforementioned beatdown of the Buckeyes on Thursday when it rolled to the win by 23 as a 10.5-point home favorite. Senior PG Bronson Koenig had 21 points on 5-of-7 shooting from long distance. Nigel Hayes had 15 points, three rebounds and four assists compared to just one turnover. Vitto Brown was also in double figures with 12 points.

UW is led by its seniors, Koenig and Hayes, who have played in 14 NCAA Tournament games. Eleven of those 14 games have been victories with the three defeats coming by 11 combined points. Koenig (14.4 PPG) is UW’s leading scorer, while Hayes (13.6 PPG) leads the team in assists (3.2 APG). Ethan Happ (12.9 PPG) paces the Badgers in rebounding (9.2 RPG), field-goal percentage (62.7%) and steals (1.9 SPG).

Michigan (12-6 SU, 4-11 ATS) is winless both SU and ATS in four road games this season.

John Beilein’s squad has failed to cover the number in six straight games, going 3-3 SU in those contests. Michigan snapped a two-game losing streak Saturday by winning a 91-85 decision over Nebraska as an eight-point home ‘chalk.’ Moritz Wagner led the way with 23 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots while draining 4-of-6 from downtown. The Wolverines shot 54.0 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from 3-point range (11-of-22) and 86.7 percent from the FT line (26-of-30). Zak Irvin had 21 points, five rebounds and seven assists compared to just two turnovers, while Derrick Walton Jr. finished with 20 points. Walton needed only six shots from the field to get 20 points. He made five of those six, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc and 7-of-9 at stripe.

Michigan is 1-1 both SU and ATS in a pair of underdog spots, beating SMU 76-54 on a neutral court and losing 102-84 at UCLA.

Michigan is No. 70 in the RPI, going 2-4 versus the Top 50 and 4-5 against the Top 100. The Wolverines’ best wins have already been noted over SMU and Nebraska, but they’ve also won at home over Penn State and Texas, in addition to a neutral-court scalp of Marquette by a 79-61 count. Their only defeats to teams outside of the RPI Top 50 came vs. Va. Tech and at Iowa by six combined points.

As usual, Wisconsin is one of the nation’s top defensive teams. The Badgers are ranked ninth in the country in scoring defense, giving up only 60.2 PPG.

In this rivalry, Wisconsin has won four in a row and six of the last seven. The ‘over’ is 5-2 in the last seven head-to-head encounters.

The ‘over’ is 11-4 overall for the Wolverines, 3-1 in their road assignments. They’ve seen the ‘over’ hit in nine consecutive games.

The ‘under’ is 8-6 overall for the Badgers, 4-3 in their home outings.

B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets

With the exception of junior walk-on Drew Davis, did you know Howland’s second MSU team is composed of nothing but freshmen and sophomores. When former MSU AD and new Florida AD Scott Stricklin lured Howland to Starkville, he pulled a coup of epic proportions.

Creighton has had the look of a legit Final Four contender all season long. That remained the case Monday when the Bluejays went on the road and beat Xavier 72-67 as three-point road underdogs. However, senior point guard Mo Watson sustained a knee injury in the first half. There’s no word yet on how long Watson will be out, but early reports indicated there was no ligament damage. That likely means he won’t be done for the season, but head coach Greg McDermott said “it could be a meniscus,” which could mean an absence of about a month or more. He’s the nation’s assists leader, handing out 8.4 helpers per game. Watson (12.9 PPG) had been shooting at a 46.9 percent clip from 3-point land this year.

Boise State will play host to New Mexico at Taco Bell Arena tonight at 11:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPNU. The Broncos saw their seven-game winning streak snapped Saturday in an 89-80 loss at Fresno State in a pick ‘em affair. They saw the ‘over’ hit for the fourth time in the last five outings. Despite the loss both SU and ATS, Leon Rice’s team is still 9-3 ATS in its last 12 contests. The Broncos are undefeated in seven home games with a 4-1 spread record.

Texas is a 14-point underdog tonight at Baylor. Tip-off from Waco is set for 7:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2. The Longhorns are 2-0 ATS as double-digit underdogs, 4-0 ATS when catching 8.5 points or more. Meanwhile, Baylor owns a 1-2 spread record in three games as a double-digit favorite.

N.C. State is a 3.5-point home favorite vs. Pitt at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPNU. The Wolfpack has dropped three in a row and four of five both SU and ATS. All four defeats for Mark Gottfried’s team were embarrassing. They lost by 18 at Miami before one of their best performance of the season, a 104-78 win over Va. Tech as 1.5-point home underdogs. Since then, however, N.C. State lost 107-56 at UNC before losing by eight at Boston College as a 5.5-point road ‘chalk.’ Then on Sunday, Georgia Tech came into Raleigh and captured an 86-76 win as a 9.5-point road underdog. Pitt has also lost three in a row and four of five outright. However, the only really shameful outing came on Saturday when Miami went into Pennsylvania and smashed the Panthers, 72-46.

Tuesday’s NCAAB Game of the Day: Michigan at Wisconsin
By Covers.com

Michigan Wolverines at Wisconsin Badgers (-10, 131)

No. 17 Wisconsin looks to continue its winning ways when it hosts Michigan on Tuesday. The Badgers have won 10 of their last 11 games, including a convincing 89-66 victory against Ohio State on Jan. 12, and can move into a tie with Maryland atop the Big Ten standings by beating the Wolverines for the fifth consecutive time.

The Kohl Center has been a house of horrors for visiting teams as Wisconsin has won 16 consecutive home games since Jan. 17, 2016 and is 10-0 in Madison this season, outscoring its opponents by an average margin of 27 points. Michigan ended a two-game slide with a morale-boosting 91-85 win against Nebraska on Sunday. Senior point guard Derrick Walton Jr. called a players-only meeting to clear the air before the matchup with the Cornhuskers and the Wolverines responded by scoring more than 90 points in conference play for the first time since Jan. 3, 2013. The problem for Michigan has been on the defensive side of the floor, as it has surrendered at least 85 points in three of its five conference games; it hopes to earn its first win in Madison in nearly three years.

LINE HISTORY: Wisconsin opened as 11-point home favorites and that line dropped to -10 on Tuesday morning. The total hit the board at 131 and has yet to move. Check out the complete line history here.

INJURY REPORT:

Michigan - No injuries to report.

Wisconsin - No injuries to report.

POWER RANKINGS: Michigan (-3.4) - Wisconsin (-14.6) + home court (-3) = Wisconsin -14.2

ABOUT MICHIGAN (12-6 SU, 4-11 ATS, 11-4 O/U): Sophomore forward Moritz Wagner drained four 3-pointers en route to a career-high 23 points and added six rebounds and two blocked shots in the win against Nebraska. Senior guard Zak Irvin added 21 points, seven assists and five rebounds while Walton scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half against the Cornhuskers. "There's only so many games left so it's time to make some noise," Walton told reporters. "It's time to play like the great team that we are and get it done no matter what it takes."

ABOUT WISCONSIN (14-3 SU, 9-5 ATS, 6-8 O/U): Senior point guard Bronson Koenig overcame a slow start to finish with 21 points, including five 3-pointers, in the win against Ohio State. "I got down on myself a little bit but I couldn't fall into that trap again and defer to my teammates and not be aggressive," Koenig told reporters. "I tried to stay on the attack any way possible." Nigel Hayes added 15 points and four assists to finish in double figures for the eighth time in nine contests while Vitto Brown produced 12 points and five rebounds in his 100th career game for the Badgers.

TRENDS:

* Wolverines are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games following a straight up win.
* Badgers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 home games.
* Over is 10-1 in Wolverines last 11 overall.
* Under is 5-1 in Badgers last 6 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
* Underdog is 13-3 ATS in the last 16 meetings.

CONSENSUS: 54 percent of the picks on are siding with the road underdog Michigan Wolverines and Over is picking up 67 percent of the totals wagers.

Michigan faces Wisconsin
By: Zach Cohen
StatFox.com

#17 Wisconsin will be looking to earn its 15th win when the team hosts Michigan on Tuesday.

Michigan avoided a three-game losing streak by defeating Nebraska 91-85 as an 8.5-point home favorite on Saturday. The Wolverines were remarkable offensively in that game, shooting 54.0% from the field and turning the ball over only 10 times. It was their ninth straight game of coughing the ball up 10 or fewer times, and they will need to be extremely careful with the rock on Tuesday as well. The Badgers have forced their opponents to turn the ball over more than 10 times in each of the past nine games, so they’ll be looking to make the Wolverines uncomfortable. Wisconsin’s most recent game was an 89-66 victory over Ohio State on Jan. 12. The Badgers were favored by 10 in that game, and they have now won-and-covered in four of their past five games. They’re also hosting a Michigan team that they have beaten four times in a row (2-2 ATS). One trend that stands out when looking at this game is the fact that Wisconsin is a perfect 8-0 ATS off a home win against a conference rival over the past two seasons. The Badgers are also facing a Wolverines team that is just 0-6 ATS after three or more consecutive Overs on the year.

The Wolverines have been inconsistent this season, but they can still very well be a dangerous tournament team come March. Michigan is incredibly balanced, as the team has six guys scoring at least 8.0 PPG. The leading scorer for this Wolverines team is G Zak Irvin (14.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.7 APG). Irvin can score in a number of ways, but he will need to find his three-ball on Tuesday. He is just 1-for-11 from the outside over the past four contests, and he will need to bury a couple against Wisconsin in this one. If he doesn’t then it’ll be very hard for him to score, as the Badgers possess multiple defenders that are capable of guarding the wing. G Derrick Walton Jr. (12.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.7 APG) is a guy that could give Wisconsin some trouble, though. Walton Jr. is an extremely quick point guard, and he should be able to blow by Bronson Koenig a few times in this one. That’ll allow him to finish at the rim or set up his teammates. He’s also a 41.7% shooter from the outside, and will need to hit some shots from the outside. The same can be said for F Duncan Robinson (8.3 PPG), who is shooting 39.7% from three. Although the numbers might not show it, Robinson will be the best shooter on the floor on Tuesday and Michigan badly needs him to make his presence felt. On the inside, both Fs Moritz Wagner (12.2 PPG, 3.7 RPG) and D.J. Wilson (10.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.3 BPG) will need to be active on the glass. If they do not hold their own against Wisconsin’s elite frontcourt then the Wolverines will be blown out in Madison.

Wisconsin is one of the most efficient teams in the country, as the Badgers average 117.6 points per 100 possessions (t-17th in NCAA) and allow just 60.2 PPG (9th in NCAA). That combination of an offense that doesn’t make many mistakes with a suffocating defense has been a staple for Wisconsin over the years. F Nigel Hayes (13.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 3.2 APG) is the leader of this Badgers team on both ends of the floor. Hayes is a guy that can fill up the stat sheet offensively, and he is also a lockdown defender both on the wing and inside. He’ll look to pick apart this Michigan team on Tuesday, and he should have no problem doing so. Earlier in the year Hayes nearly had a triple-double against Syracuse, and that shows the type of player he is. He should record at least one before the end of his final college season. G Bronson Koenig (14.4 PPG) and F Ethan Happ (12.9 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 1.9 SPG) are also some of the more dangerous players in the nation to defend. Koenig is a lethal shooter from the outside, and he seems to always come up big in the clutch. Happ, meanwhile, could be the best player in Wisconsin history by the time his college career comes to an end. He is only a sophomore, but Happ has been a double-double machine in his two years with the Badgers. He is one of the best post-scorers in the country, and he is an animal on the boards as well. He could be the x-factor in this game, as Michigan likely can’t handle his energy on both ends.