Bucky’s Fan Favorite Tournament Sweet 16: (1) Ethan Happ vs. (12) Aleem Ford

With COVID-19 crushing everyone’s March Madness vibe, we at B5Q crafted our own tournament to determine which basketball player from the past 20 years was the biggest fan favorite.

With two rounds in the books, we now enter crunch time. It’s the Sweet 16 baby.

For the Sweet 16, we will be dropping two pairings from a singular region each day in separate articles. We at B5Q will state the case for each player, and it is up to you the fans to vote and ultimately decide who moves on and who is eliminated.

First, we turn our attention to the Midwest Region. Just like the first two rounds, the voting window closes at midnight each day, so get those votes in quick.

You can check out the players still vying for the title in the complete bracket...Bucky's Fan Favorite Tournament Bracket.pdf.

The first contests has No. 1 seed Ethan Happ facing off with the last No. 12 seed alive, Aleem Ford.

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

The case for Ethan Happ:

Ethan Happ is one of the more decorated players in program history. The do it all forward was a force in the post, and was a very versatile play-maker for Wisconsin.

For his career he averaged 15.3 points per game, 8.8 rebounds and three assists per game. Happ finished his time at UW ranking third in points scored, first in rebounds, third in assists, first in blocks, second in steals and first in field goals made in program history.

Happ was a three-time first-team All-American and is one of only six players in NCAA history to record over 2000 points, 1000 rebounds, 400 assists.

During a window in time where the Badgers were transitioning from the players who helped lead the team to consecutive Final Four appearances, to the current iteration of the Badgers under Greg Gard, Happ was the consummate leader.

Happ led the team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals per game for large chunks of his career in Madison, and was a big reason for the team staying afloat through some weaker recruiting classes.

Ethan Happ was a legitimate two-way player for the Badgers on each end of the court, and statistically speaking is one of the more well rounded players in program history.

Dan Sanger

The case for Aleem Ford:

The lone current player still in contention for the tournament title, Aleem Ford is a wildcard in the vote.

A stretch-four who can hit from deep, and who has really improved his game over the past three seasons, Ford is a player to watch entering his senior year.

The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 8.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in his first year as a consistent starter last year, and for his career, Ford has averaged 5.9 points per game, three rebounds, and just under an assist per game.

Given the fact that he is still on the team, he could potentially breakout next year and heighten his standing in the memories of the Wisconsin Badgers faithful with a stellar final campaign.