The Gators need good defense in the post by players such as Kevarrius Hayes against a big and talented Wisconsin frontcourt. (Photo: Courtney Culbreath/For UAA Communications)
Post Presence: Gators Need One vs. Badgers
Friday, March 24, 2017 | Men's Basketball, Scott Carter
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The Badgers' duo of Nigel Hayes and Ethan Happ have caused issues for opponents all season, which defending champion Villanova learned the hard way.
NEW YORK – Guard Bronson Koenig and forward Nigel Hayes are Wisconsin's headliners as much for their social and political activism as for their basketball ability.
Hayes has been active on social media about the Black Lives Matter movement and protested that college athletes should get paid. Koenig, a Native American, joined protesters of the Dakota Access Pipeline on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota.
When Koenig, Hayes and teammate Ethan Happ took their run on the podium in front of the media on Thursday afternoon here at Madison Square Garden, Koenig and Hayes took several questions from reporters before Happ said a word.
When Happ finally was called upon – "First off, thank you for the pity question," he quipped, causing those in the room to laugh – it was about the Badgers' matchup inside against the Gators on Friday night in the Sweet 16.
In the eyes of Gators coach Mike White, that is the most critical challenge the Gators face in order to advance.
"That's the key to the whole game,'' White said. "They put you in a quandary. If you're too extended [defensively] on Wisconsin, Happ and Hayes are going to have a field day. And if you're too condensed, if you put too much emphasis on defending the interior and they get 20 3s off and Koenig gets nine 3s off, it's lose-lose."
"We have got to limit their touches,'' White said. "Nothing can be easy for them."
While Koenig leads the Badgers in scoring (14.5 points per game), the duo of Hayes and Happ cause matchup headaches. Both players average 13.8 points a game. The 6-foot-8 Hayes is a dangerous scorer inside and has added an outside repertoire the past two seasons. The 6-foot-10 Happ is a threat everywhere.
Happ was a second-team All-American selection and the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. He leads the Badgers in rebounding (9.1), assists (2.8), steals (1.8) and blocks (1.2) per game. There's not much he doesn't do well other than shoot free throws (78 of 158, 49.4 percent).
"They have both kind of developed into the player they are in a different way,'' Badgers coach Greg Gard said Thursday. "There's not a whole lot they haven't seen. They have seen double teams. They both make their teammates around them better. They both understand the impact they can have and how they improve our team."
Since losing starting center John Egbunu late in the season due to a knee injury, Florida's post players have faced constant questions about their ability to stop teams talented in the post. The storyline is at the forefront of Friday night's matchup in the wake of Wisconsin's upset of No. 1 overall seed Villanova on the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
Hayes and Happ combined for 31 points, 16 rebounds and made 13 of 22 shots in Wisconsin's 65-62 win in Buffalo.
Villanova head coach Jay Wright walked out of the KeyBank Center impressed at the impact the two players had on the outcome.
First, Wright on Happ: "He's got size, he can score over you. And if you have size on him, he can score around you with his ball-handling." Next, Wright on Hayes: "He can shoot it from 3, he can drive it, he passes it, he posts up. It's pretty scary how I just described those two guys and they are on the same team, right?"
With Egbunu out, Kevarrius Hayes and Gorjok Gak, a surprise contributor in Florida's first two wins in the tournament, are chiefly responsible for defending Happ in the post. As for Nigel Hayes, Gators forwards Devin Robinson and Justin Leon must try and limit his effectiveness.
Six-foot-11 freshman Gorjot Gak, who chipped in with quality minutes in the Gators' first two wins of the NCAA Tournament, could help Florida's post defense on Friday night against Wisconsin. (Photo: Courtney Culbreath/For UAA Communications)
"That's a pretty big challenge, especially with those two high-level players,'' Leon said. "Without Egbunu, I think we have done our fair share of the job, because we got here without him. I think we showed that we can play interior defense without him."
Kevarrius Hayes' game plan is simple on Happ. Keep him off the block and make him go over you instead of around you where he often gets to the line because of his ball-handling ability.
"We can't sell ourselves short,'' Hayes said. "I feel like we can still come out on top."
Not only do Happ and Nigel Hayes have ability, they have a huge advantage in experience. This is the third time in four years Hayes has advanced to the Sweet 16 and Happ, a third-year junior, has made it all three seasons although he was a redshirt when the Badgers lost to Duke in the 2015 national championship game.
The Badgers can win with defense, by shooting 3s, or as they do most often, by Hayes and Happ playing big roles.
"We kind of have interchangeable parts,'' Hayes said. "We run the swing offense, so at any given time Bronson will be in the post, Ethan will be up top with the ball. We all have the skills necessary. And if you watch Wisconsin practice, you'll see the whole gym is doing post dribbling moves and doing shooting. We try to be as versatile as we can."
White and his staff have worked hard the past few days to prepare for the Hayes-Happ test. They know it's unlikely to shut both down.
One would be nice.
"The big concern is foul trouble,'' White said. "We're already thin up front of course without John, and we have got to be really physical. We have got to show our hands, we got to be very smart. Those guys just really understand how to draw fouls."
As for that long-awaited question for Happ on Thursday, it was about the advantage inside that he and Hayes provide the Badgers.
He is ready for whatever the Gators toss their way.
"If they pressure the wings and they give us one-on-one in the post, Nigel and I like our chances in isolation,'' Happ said. "Regardless of who we're playing."
