Wisconsin Basketball 2015 Season Predictions

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Nigel Hayes speaks at a post-game press conference at the Kohl Center. Jim Oxley photo

Who will be the Badgers leaders in points, rebounds and assists?

Rayan Vatti: Nigel Hayes and Bronson Koenig are both going to shoot and score a lot this season. I wouldn’t be surprised if either end up leading Wisconsin in scoring, and I expect both of them to average at least 16 points. But I’m going to give the edge to Koenig, because I think he is going to have the ball in his hands a lot towards the end of shot clocks. But Hayes will be right up there with him. Power forward Ethan Happ will be the leading rebounder, and Koenig will use his great court vision to rack up a ton of assists.

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Jon Rzepecki: This season will hopefully not all be about the possible Bo Ryan swan song and focus on highlight-darling Nigel Hayes and the Big Ten’s most unheralded guard, Bronson Koenig. Hayes will lead the Badgers in points and rebounds while Koenig should lead in assists.

Erik Buchinger: No surprises here. Among the returning players from last year’s roster, Nigel Hayes leads Wisconsin in scoring and rebounding. Hayes may be the best player in the conference, and he will finish the season at the top of those categories again for the Badgers. Bronson Koenig showed to be a phenomenal passer running the offense last season. He finished second on the team in assists behind Frank Kaminsky last season. Koenig will not have as many talented options to go to this year, but he is the obvious choice to lead the Badgers in the 2015-16 season.

Taylor Johnson: Nigel Hayes is one of the most experienced players on the team and one of the main playmakers on this 2015-16 squad. With that said, I say he leads the team in both points and rebounds. He will be looked upon to be a force in the paint and will be a work horse for Bo Ryan this year. I think point guard Bronson Koenig leads the team in assists. He’s going to be one of the best point guards in the Big Ten and will be looked upon to be a leader on this young team. Look for him to lead this team in different aspects on the floor as well.

Jim Oxley: Nigel Hayes has been flooded with preseason hype, and for good reason. He’s going to be the focus of this Badgers offense. Yes, Bronson Koenig will play a major role, but Hayes’ versatility will be what opposing teams are worried about when they prep for the Badgers. Hayes will lead the team in scoring, and with Charlie Thomas and Andy Van Vliet likely to steal some playing time from Vitto Brown, he should lead the team in rebounding as well. Koenig, meanwhile, will assist many of those Hayes buckets, among others, and lead the team in assists.

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