Happ leads No. 10 Wisconsin into Illinois (Jan 31, 2017)

Ethan Happ has made Wisconsin the team to beat in the Big Ten Conference.

All one has to do is look at Saturday's game against Rutgers for proof. On a day when no one in a Badgers uniform could make a shot, Happ merely unfurled a 32-point, six-rebound, three-assist gem to carry them past the Scarlet Knights 61-54 in overtime at Madison Square Garden.

Happ and No. 10 Wisconsin will try to at least keep pace with co-leader Maryland atop the conference when it visits Big Ten foe Illinois on Tuesday night at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill.

The 6-foot-10 Happ is the only player in Division I averaging at least 13 points, nine rebounds, 2.5 assists, two steals and one block per game. His emergence as a go-to player offensively, teamed with the Badgers' traditionally tough defense, will make them a tough out late into March -- and perhaps into April.

"It's so fun for me to be on the court with a guy like that," Wisconsin guard Zak Showalter said of Happ. "I've kind of tried to be that guy that plays every possession as hard as I can. But to see him playing the way he is, which is exciting to see, I'm playing off him now."

In surviving Rutgers, the Badgers (18-3, 7-1 Big Ten) overcame 33 percent shooting, including a dreadful 3-of-25 effort from beyond the 3-point line. Happ canned 12 of 18 shots, scoring seven of their 16 overtime points, and could have sniffed 40 points had he not finished a Shaq-esque 8 of 16 at the foul line.

"My biggest takeaway from the game is not to give up when you're not shooting well," Happ said. "To pull it out was an amazing team win. I never had any doubt (of winning) until the game is really over. I was ecstatic."

The Fighting Illini (13-9, 3-6) almost pulled off a season-turning win Saturday at Penn State, chopping a 22-point second-half deficit down to three with two minutes left before the Nittany Lions held them off 71-67.

Illinois harbored hopes of surprising the experts and achieving an NCAA Tournament berth this season, but it will need a big February and early March to pull that off. It's been hampered by poor defense in Big Ten games, allowing opponents to convert a ghastly 49.2 percent from the field and 37.2 percent on 3-pointers.

"They've got to play with more of a nastiness and a chip prior to getting behind," Illini coach John Groce told the Champaign News-Gazette after the loss to Penn State. "We've got to capture that. We've got to find a way to affect them defensively for 40 minutes."

Offense hasn't been the issue for Illinois, which is averaging 75.5 points and has five players averaging at least 8.7 points. The marquee performer is 6-5 senior forward Malcolm Hill, who's averaging 17.5 points and is capable of going off for 30 any night.

But if the Illini are going to pull off the upset, they'll have to get the job done defensively. Specifically, they'll have to figure out a way to keep Happ from getting happy.