2017 NCAA Tournament: 5 Players to Watch in Wisconsin vs Florida

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Mar 18, 2017; Buffalo, NY, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Nigel Hayes (10) dribbles around the defense of Villanova Wildcats forward Kris Jenkins (2) in the second half during the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports /

Nigel Hayes

One of the key players in Wisconsin’s upset win over Villanova was forward Nigel Hayes. Despite being a bit inconsistent this season, Hayes really rose to the occasion in a big game. As part of the Final Four team a few seasons ago, Hayes is no stranger to playing in a big game.

With Bronson Koenig and Ethan Happ both in foul trouble for part of the game, Hayes was able to help carry the load offensively for Wisconsin. Due to the foul trouble of his teammates, Hayes played a whopping 39 minutes. Against Villanova, Hayes totaled 19 points and eight rebounds. It was the second straight good game from Hayes in the NCAA Tournament, as he totaled 16 points and 10 rebounds against Virginia Tech.

One of the things that Hayes has to work on is his free throw shooting. After shooting eight-for-nine from the free throw line against Virginia Tech, Hayes shot three-for-seven from the line against Villanova. In big games, sometimes it comes down to free throw shooting. As a pretty good shooting forward, Hayes has to be better from the line for Wisconsin for the rest of the tournament. If Hayes is playing well, Wisconsin is a hard team to beat as shown by their two recent wins.

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