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Seth Davis: Wisconsin Badgers One Sleeper That Could Win National Championship

By Taylor Johnson

Dec 14, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers cheerleaders fly the banners across the court before the game with the Green Bay Phoenix at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin defeated Green Bay 73-59. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 14, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers cheerleaders fly the banners across the court before the game with the Green Bay Phoenix at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin defeated Green Bay 73-59. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports /
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Seth Davis listed a few sleeper teams in his latest mailbag on SI.com that he thinks could win the national championship in Phoenix, AZ this year.

Aspirations of the Wisconsin Badgers winning a national championship have been in the minds of fans since they made back-to-back remarkable runs to the Final Four just a few short years ago, the latest trip falling just short of actually winning the whole thing. But with a solid roster back this season and a hot young player in Ethan Happ, Seth Davis thinks Wisconsin could be a sleeper in just over two months to cut down the nets in Phoenix.

In his most recent mailbag article on SI.com, Davis answered numerous questions covering college basketball. One such question came from the world of Twitter and the user asked, “Sleeper to win the national championship?”

Simple question, yes. But what exactly constitutes a “sleeper”? Davis struggled with that as well, but threw out five teams that all are currently outside of the top 10. He puts Northwestern out there pretty much just for the hell of it. But the other four teams could be legit Final Four teams and Davis give viable reasons for each.

For the entire Seth Davis mailbag on SI.com, click here.

Purdue and Cincinnati were two teams he mentions as sleepers to win the whole thing. Butler topped his list that may or may not have been in particular order. But right behind the Bulldogs are the Badgers, a team ranked 15th in both polls and one that has as good a shot as any to find themselves back in the Final Four.

Seth Davis had this to say about Wisconsin being one of his national championship sleeper teams:

"The Badgers are ranked 15th in this week’s AP poll, but they are rolling through the Big Ten. They dominate through steady, unspectacular consistency, slowing the pace and rarely turning the ball over. No, there’s no Frank Kaminsky here, but sophomore center Ethan Happ is doing a pretty darn good impression."

Considering Happ went one-on-one with Kaminsky nearly everyday in practice his freshman year while taking a redshirt, it should come as no surprise just how well he has been playing this season.

Next: Wisconsin Badgers Bracketology Breakdown

But can you consider Wisconsin a sleeper? That question is certainly up for debate. Due to their recent success in the past few seasons and how well they have been playing this season, I don’t know if the Badgers are a true sleeper. One this is certain, however, is that many are overlooking Greg Gard’s squad. And playing under the radar and being overlooked has never been a problem for this program.

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