2015–16 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 Basketball 2015–16 Wisconsin Badgers Wisconsin Badgers logo.svg Big Ten Conference Big Ten 23 22–13 12–6 Bo Ryan 15th first 12 games Greg Gard remainder of season Gary Close Lamont Paris Howard Moore (23 games) Kohl Center NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen Greg Gard 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.Potrykus Jeff March 7, 2016 http://archive.jsonline.com/sports/badgers/uw-regents-to-meet-monday-on-hiring-basketball-coach-b99682645z1-371272461.html/ Wisconsin Hires Greg Gard, Gives Him Five-Year Contract Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel https://web.archive.org/web/20191115200044/http://archive.jsonline.com/sports/badgers/uw-regents-to-meet-monday-on-hiring-basketball-coach-b99682645z1-371272461.html/ November 15, 2019 November 15, 2019 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. 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 Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes Traevon Jackson 12 G 75 6'3" 207 4 Senior Westerville, OH Graduated/Signed by Washington Wizards Duje Dukan 13 F 82 6'10" 218 5 RS SeniorDeerfield, IL Graduated/Signed by Sacramento Kings Sam Dekker 15 F 81 6'9" 230 3 Junior Sheboygan, WI Declared for NBA draft/Drafted 18th overall by Houston Rockets Josh Gasser 21 G 76 6'4" 192 5 RS SeniorPort Washington, WI Graduated/Signed by Brooklyn Nets Riley Dearring 35 G 6'5" 181 2.5 RS SophomoreMinnetonka, MN Transferred (midseason)Frank Kaminsky44F84 7'0"2424 SeniorLisle, ILGraduated/Drafted 9th overall by Charlotte Hornets 2015 commitments no 2015 Alex Illikainen SF Grand Rapids, MN Brewster Academy 6 8 225 09/21/2014 3 3 4 4 Brevin Pritzl SG De Pere, WI De Pere 6 3 185 05/22/2014 4 4 4 4 Charlie Thomas PF Clarksville, MD River Hill 6 8 245 10/14/2014 3 3 3 3 Khalil Iverson SF Delaware, OH Rutherford B. Hayes 6 4 190 02/12/2015 3 3 3 2 Andy Van Vliet PF Belgium Canarias Basketball Academy 6 10 190 05/11/2015 NR NR NR NR 2015 2015 Wisconsin Commitments Men's Basketball Recruiting ESPN- Wisconsin Badgers Men's Basketball Recruiting wisconsin 73 275 yes Roster 2015 Wisconsin Badgers y Will Decorah 0 G 6 4 205 JR Waunakee, WI n W Brevin Pritzl 1 G 6 3 185 FR De Pere, WI y yes Jordan Smith 2 G 6 3 181 SR y Orono, MN n Zak Showalter 3 G 6 2 184 JR y Germantown, WI n Matt Ferris 4 G 6 6 196 SO Appleton, WI n W yes Aaron Moesch 5 F 6 8 211 SO y Green Bay, WI n W Nigel Hayes 10 F 6 8 240 JR Toledo, OH y Jordan Hill 11 G 6 3 178 SO y Pasadena, CA n Jackson Bax 13 G 5 11 157 FR Frankfort, IL n W Charlie Thomas 15 F 6 8 253 FR Highland, MD n T.J. Schlundt 20 G 6 5 194 FR y Oconomowoc, WI n W Khalil Iverson 21 G/F 6 5 205 FR Delaware, OH y Ethan Happ 22 F 6 9 235 FR y Milan, IL y Bronson Koenig 24 G 6 4 193 JR La Crosse, WI y Alex Illikainen 25 F 6 9 220 FR Grand Rapids, MN n Vitto Brown y 30 F 6 8 230 JR Bowling Green, OH Andy Van Vliet y 33 F 6 11 203 FR Belgium I Riley Dearring 35 G 6 n 5 181 SO y Minnetonka, MN Bo Ryan (Wilkes) (First 12 games) Greg Gard (UW–Platteville) (Interim) Gary Close (Arizona State) Lamont Paris (Wooster) Howard Moore (UW–Madison) http://www.uwbadgers.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/wis-m-baskbl-mtt.html Season news thumb|right|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.https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/13169056/bo-ryan-wisconsin-badgers-retire-next-season Bo Ryan to retire after next season Jeff Goodman ESPN June 29, 2015 June 29, 2015 However, on August 13, he backed away from his previous announcement, telling reporters that he would make a final decision by the end of 2015.https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/13428654/bo-ryan-wisconsin-badgers-not-totally-sure-retire-2015-16-season Badgers' Bo Ryan leaves door open for return after 2015-16 season Andy Katz Andy Katz ESPN August 13, 2015 August 14, 2015 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.https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/14378183/wisconsin-badgers-coach-bo-ryan-retiring-effective-immediately Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan retiring; Greg Gard named interim coach ESPN December 15, 2015 December 15, 2015 Schedule and results Sourcehttp://www.uwbadgers.com/sports/m-baskbl/sched/wis-m-baskbl-sched.html 2015–16 Schedule UW Badgers https://web.archive.org/web/20101023053152/http://www.uwbadgers.com/sports/m-baskbl/sched/wis-m-baskbl-sched.html 2010-10-23 dead mdy-all yes yes |- !colspan=12 style="background:#cc1122; color:#ffffff;"| Exhibition Nov 4 7:00pm yes 17 UW–River Falls Kohl Center Madison, WI Tied 16 Happ 10 Hayes 6 101–46 17,213 – |- !colspan=12 style="background:#cc1122; color:#ffffff;"| Non-conference regular season Nov 13 8:00pm yes 17 Western Illinois Kohl Center Madison, WI BTN Tied 17 Iverson 7 Hayes 4 67–69 17,287 0–1 Nov 15 7:00pm yes 17 Siena Kohl Center Madison, WI 2K Sports Classic ESPNU Koenig 23 Brown 7 Tied 4 92–65 17,287 1–1 Nov 17 7:00pm yes North Dakota Kohl Center Madison, WI ESPN3 Tied 17 Happ 7 Hayes 7 78–64 17,287 2–1 Nov 20 4:00pm yes yes Georgetown Madison Square Garden New York City, NY 2K Sports Classic semifinals ESPN2 Hayes 22 Happ 10 Tied 3 61–71 N/A 2–2 Nov 22 2:30pm yes yes VCU Madison Square Garden New York City, NY 2K Sports Classic third place game ESPN2 Koenig 22 Happ 10 Showalter 6 74–73 17,287 3–2 Nov 25 7:00pm yes Prairie View A&M Kohl Center Madison, WI BTN Koenig 16 Happ 8 Hayes 7 85–67 17,287 4–2 Nov 29 1:30pm yes yes Oklahoma 7 Lloyd Noble Center Norman, OK ESPN2 Hayes 20 Hayes 11 Hayes 4 48–65 8,988 4–3 Dec 2 6:15pm yes yes Syracuse 14 Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY ACC–Big Ten Challenge ESPN2 Happ 18 Happ 15 Hayes 6 66–58 OT 22,360 5–3 Dec 5 11:30am yes Temple Kohl Center Madison, WI CBS Hayes 18 Hayes 12 Tied 3 76–60 17,287 6–3 Dec 9 8:00pm yes Milwaukee Kohl Center Madison, WI BTN Hayes 32 Happ 15 Showalter 4 67–68 17,287 6–4 Dec 12 12:30pm yes Marquette Kohl Center Madison, WI Rivalry ESPN2 Brown 15 Showalter 10 Hayes 6 55–57 17,287 6–5 Dec 15 8:00pm yes Texas A&M Corpus Christi Kohl Center Madison, WI BTN Tied 15 Brown 16 Hayes 6 64–49 17,287 7–5 Dec 23 8:00pm yes Green Bay Kohl Center Madison, WI BTN Hayes 24 Brown 9 Tied 4 84–79 17,287 8–5 |- !colspan=12 style="background:#cc1122; color:#ffffff;"| Big Ten regular season Dec 29 6:00pm Purdue 14 Kohl Center Madison, WI BTN Hayes 17 Hayes 7 Koenig 3 55–61 17,287 8–6 0–1 Jan 2 1:00pm Rutgers Kohl Center Madison, WI BTN Showalter 21 Happ 10 Koenig 4 79–57 17,287 9–6 1–1 Jan 5 6:00pm yes Indiana Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN ESPN Tied 15 Happ 8 Koenig 2 58–59 14,098 9–7 1–2 Jan 9 12:00pm Maryland 3 Kohl Center Madison, WI ESPN Hayes 17 Happ 11 Koenig 3 60–63 17,287 9–8 1–3 Jan 12 6:00pm yes Northwestern Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, IL BTN Hayes 17 Hayes 6 Showalter 7 65–70 7,264 9–9 1–4 Jan 17 12:30pm Michigan State 4 Kohl Center Madison, WI CBS Koenig 27 Happ 8 Koenig 4 77–76 17,287 10–9 2–4 Jan 21 7:00pm yes Penn State Bryce Jordan Center University Park, PA BTN Happ 20 Happ 11 Hayes 5 66–60 7,145 11–9 3–4 Jan 26 6:00pm Indiana 19 Kohl Center Madison, WI ESPN Hayes 31 Happ 8 Hayes 2 82–79 OT 17,287 12–9 4–4 Jan 31 6:30pm yes Illinois State Farm Center Champaign, IL BTN Hayes 17 Happ 9 Tied 2 63–55 13,609 13–9 5–4 Feb 4 6:00pm Ohio State Kohl Center Madison, WI ESPN Hayes 21 Hayes 7 Showalter 4 79–68 17,287 14–9 6–4 Feb 10 6:00pm Nebraska Kohl Center Madison, WI BTN Hayes 20 Tied 5 Tied 3 72–61 17,287 15–9 7–4 Feb 13 5:30pm yes Maryland 2 Xfinity Center College Park, MD ESPN Brown 21 Happ 10 Koenig 5 70–57 17,950 16–9 8–4 Feb 18 8:00pm yes Michigan State 8 Breslin Center East Lansing, MI ESPN Happ 18 Brown 8 Tied 2 57–69 14,797 16–10 8–5 Feb 21 6:30pm Illinois Kohl Center Madison, WI BTN Happ 20 Happ 12 Showalter 5 69–60 17,287 17–10 9–5 Feb 24 8:00pm yes Iowa 8 Carver–Hawkeye Arena Iowa City, IA BTN Koenig 15 Tied 6 Tied 4 67–59 15,400 18–10 10–5 Feb 28 5:00pm Michigan Kohl Center Madison, WI BTN Koenig 19 Hayes 7 Hayes 4 68–57 17,287 19–10 11–5 Mar 2 8:00pm yes Minnesota Williams Arena Minneapolis, MN BTN Koenig 14 Happ 10 Koenig 6 62–49 12,275 20–10 12–5 Mar 6 6:30pm yes Purdue 15 Mackey Arena West Lafayette, IN BTN Hayes 30 Hayes 8 Koenig 4 80–91 14,846 20–11 12–6 |- !colspan=12 style="background:#cc1122; color:#ffffff;"|Big Ten tournament Mar 10 8:00pm yes 6 Nebraska 11 Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN Second Round ESPN2 Happ 17 Brown 8 Koenig 4 58–70 15,571 20–12 |- !colspan=9 style="background:#cc1122; color:white;"| NCAA tournament Mar 18 5:50pm yes yes 7 E Pittsburgh 10 E Scottrade Center St. Louis, MO First Round TNT 47–43 Happ 15 Happ 9 Happ 3 14,425 21–12 Mar 20 7:40pm yes yes 7 E Xavier 2 E 9 Scottrade Center St. Louis, MO Second Round TNT 66–63 Koenig 20 Hayes 8 Tied 3 15,169 22–12 Mar 25 6:27pm yes yes 7 E Notre Dame 6 E Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia, PA Sweet Sixteen TBS 56–61 Happ 14 Happ 12 Tied 3 20,686 22–13 AP Poll Central Time E East Region Rankings 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings 1 20 1 20 Pre 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 statisticsWisconsin Combined Team Statistics http://www.uwbadgers.com/index.aspx?path=mbball University of Wisconsin-Madison February 23, 2016MinutesScoringTotal FGs3-point FGsFree-ThrowsReboundsPlayerGPGSTotAvgPtsAvgFGFGAPct3FG3FAPctFTFTAPctOffDefTotAvgATOBlkStlBax, Jackson3020.700.000.00000.00000.0000000.00000Brown, Vitto353588825.43409.7130292.4453895.4004255.764601141745.029401919Dearring, Riley3062.020.702.00002.000221.0000220.70200Decorah, Will4030.800.001.00000.00000.0001010.30100Happ, Ethan353598228.143412.4163303.53800.000108168.643881902787.944763263Hayes, Nigel3535126736.255115.7161438.36839133.293190258.736691352055.8104791439Hill, Jordan30146715.6872.93387.3791751.33346.6671428421.4241919Illikainen, Alex3303249.8712.22663.413928.3211015.6671633491.5131136Iverson, Khalil34044313.0872.63370.471212.1671936.5282439631.921312012Koenig, Bronson3535122234.945913.1151385.39283213.3907497.7631384972.88452614Moesch, Aaron160483.040.312.50000.000221.0002350.31102Pritzl, Brevin1044.000.000.00000.00000.0000000.00100Schlundt, T.J.5040.800.000.00000.00000.0000000.01000Showalter, Zak3535109931.42627.590198.45537107.3464556.804261081343.87648736Smith, Jordan8091.140.513.33300.00023.6671120.30110Thomas, Charlie3102829.1722.32773.370415.2671430.4672142632.035115Team63511143.219Total357050237367.88161917.426229656.349512728.703398830122835.1400386114205Opponents357050223363.87941862.426201539.373444626.709318803112132.0371419116190 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 PlayerGameDatePoints32Nigel Hayesvs. Milwaukee December 9, 2015Rebounds16Vitto Brownvs. Texas A&M–Corpus Christi December 15, 2015Assists7Nigel Hayesvs. North Dakota November 17, 2015Nigel Hayesvs. Prairie View A&M November 25, 2015Zak Showalterat Northwestern January 12, 2016Steals6Ethan Happvs. Illinois February 21, 2016Blocks3Khalil Iversonvs. Western Illinois November 13, 2015Ethan Happat Syracuse December 2, 2015Ethan Happvs. Milwaukee December 9, 2015Ethan Happvs. Texas A&M–Corpus Christi December 15, 2015Vitto Brownvs. Green Bay December 23, 2015Khalil Iversonvs. Xavier March 20, 2016 See also 2015–16 Wisconsin Badgers women's basketball team References Category:Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball seasons Wisconsin Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team Badgers men's basketball team