Takeaways from Wisconsin basketball's non-conference slate

Following a 65-37 victory over Rider on New Year’s Eve, the University of Wisconsin re-enters Big Ten conference play in 2020 with Saturday’s road tilt at No. 5 Ohio State. Here are five things we’ve learned about the Badgers (8-5, 1-1 Big Ten) in 2019.

Denied the ability to be at full strength by the NCAA for the first 10 games of the season, Wisconsin has found a rhythm in the three games with Micah Potter on the floor either offensively (84 team points against Milwaukee) or defensively (holding consecutive opponents under 35 percent shooting).

The 6-10 forward is hard to miss on the court now for the Badgers and his work in the low block coming off the bench is noticeable. Against Milwaukee, Potter finished with 12 points, five rebounds and one block in 13 minutes. In the win over Rider, he had seven rebounds and three blocks in 18 minutes. That kind of production, while not eye-popping, has helped take a huge burden off junior forward Nate Reuvers to not be Wisconsin’s main focal point in the post.

A perfect example would be Wisconsin’s road win at Tennessee. Potter was limited to just seven minutes because of foul trouble, but Reuvers filled the stat sheet with nine points, a team-best seven rebounds and two blocks.

“There would be sometimes where if I was tired, I couldn’t come out depending on what the matchups were,” Reuvers said. “With Micah, I’m able to have more in my tank. I still have to worry about foul trouble, but at the end of the day we’ll be able to play off each other and put teams in a difficult spot.”

It’s evident that the Badgers are still working on their synergy and chemistry but, after lacking a second legitimate post presence through the first 10 games of the season, Wisconsin’s mid-season addition will help during the physicality of conference play.