What Is Wisconsin Basketball Losing and How Can It Be Replaced?

When Greg Gard was suddenly given the keys to the Wisconsin basketball program in December 2015, he identified two priorities. The first was to turn around a season that was barely treading above water, and the second was to restock the recruiting cabinet.

The answer to the first problem was immediate with Wisconsin catching fire and eventually going to the Sweet 16. The answer to the second took five years to come to fruition, but the result was just as meaningful to the health of the program.

Signing four players who would become cornerstones of his roster the last two seasons, as well as adding two transfers to fill some missing gaps, Wisconsin six-member senior scholarship class combined to play in 641 games with 441 starts and win a Big Ten championship.

“I thanked them for all they've done for this program, going beyond basketball and beyond even this year because that group of seniors have been through a lot,” Gard said following Sunday’s season-ending loss. “They've had great jubilation and some extreme trials. As I told them, that's life. You're going to have some things go your way, and you're going to have some things not go your way. But as long as you're doing the best you can and giving your best effort, that's all we can ask. And they definitely every day gave us all they could.”

With all six seniors having already or about to earn their degrees and likely not returning for an extra season (Brad Davison's status is still unknown), BadgerBlitz looks at the development of the group.

Recruitment: After missing out on several point guard targets in the early signing period, Gard and his staff ventured down to Florida to look at a two-sport high school athlete who went to IMG Academy following graduation to focus solely on basketball. It turned out to be an important trip, as D’Mitrik Trice far exceeded expectations.

High Point: Trice was a part of 92 wins over the 142 career games he played in five seasons and is all over UW’s career record book, finishing his career ranked 14th in points (1,430), second in 3FG (244), third in assists (430), fourth in career assist-to-turnover ratio (2.14) and 12th in starts (108). His 2021 season was his best individually, earning a third-team all-conference selection after finishing with career bests in points per game (13.9), FG percentage (41.0) and free throw percentage (79.2).

Low Point: Taking the reins from Bronson Koenig for the 2017-18, Trice was tasked with continuing the program’s standard of success with a remade roster. It turned out to be a disaster. Not only did Trice struggle with his shot (shooting under 35 percent in five of the first 10 games), he injured his right foot that required surgery and knocked him out for the season, as UW missed the tournament for the first time in two decades. The only silver lining was that it happened in time for Trice to use his redshirt after playing as a true freshman the season before.

How Can Wisconsin Replace Him: With no true point guard on the roster, this is where not having Lorne Bowman – who withdrew from school to handle a family problem – this past season hurt the Badgers in bridging the gap between Trice and the next player. The good news is that Bowman is planning to be back with the team next season along with 2021 commit Chucky Hepburn. Both of those players are dynamic and can see the floor immediately. However, it might be a smart move for Gard to dabble in the transfer market and try to land a veteran guard who has experience running the point.

Recruitment: Playing with Trice at IMG Academy, Aleem Ford caught the attention of the coaching staff while they were there to evaluate the point guard. The result was a scholarship offer and Ford committing during his official visit with Trice.

High Point: Wisconsin's season had the appearance of spinning out of control last January. The Badgers had fallen to 12-9 overall, seventh place in the Big Ten, leading scorer Kobe King had quit and things were in a state of disarray. It was over those final 10 games where Ford elevated his play, averaging 9.7 points and 5.5 rebounds as UW went 9-1 and won a share of the conference title.

Entering his junior season with nine career double-digit scoring games, Ford reached double figured in seven of those 10 games, including a career-high 19 points in a 69-65 win over Purdue. He was also aggressive on the glass in leading the team in rebounding four times.

Low Point: Hopeful that there would be a big leap forward after his late-season surge, Ford spent most of the year searching for his shot. Although his three-point shooting stayed relatively the same, his shooting percentage dropped from 43.2 percent as a junior to 40.6 percent this past season. Things were even tougher during conference play when Ford shot 37.8 percent overall and 30.8 percent from three-point range. His 14 double-digit scoring games ranked fourth on the team, but he didn’t register consecutive double-digit scoring games in 2021, a sign of his hot-and-cold nature.

How Can Wisconsin Replace Him: Although listed as a forward, Ford played more of a hybrid role that is becoming more common in college basketball. Looking at how the roster stands today, the best bet to replace him is Carter Gilmore. A versatile 6-7 wing, Gilmore averaged 26.8 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game as a high school senior and turned down several scholarships to walk-on to the Badgers last season. UW will also likely look for depth in the graduate transfer market.

Recruitment: A four-star recruit Wisconsin landed in the 2017 class, Brad Davison was ranked No.97 by Rivals in the 2017 class. He picked the Badgers over 21 other offers that included Georgia Tech, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern and Stanford.

High Point: Referred to as the cement between Wisconsin’s bricks by Gard, Davison earned a reputation for toughness when he played most of his freshman season with a shoulder that frequently dislocated during games, only to have it popped back in and return to the court. He hit 30 points twice in his career but arguably his finest moment came at the end of a frustrating 2020-21 season when he scored a season-high 29 points (10-for-15) and went 5-for-7 on three-point shots in UW’s 85-62 victory over North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Low Point: Going 28-for-101 (27.7) on two-point shots last season certainly weighed on Davison, but the fact that he put himself in some adverse decisions after his five-charge game against North Carolina State his sophomore season labeled him as a dirty player. Davison had to apologize after hitting Marquette’s Joey Hauser in the groin fighting through a screen in 2019, was given a technical foul for similarly hitting Iowa’s Conner McCaffery last season and was suspended one game by the conference when Commission Kevin Warren cited “a pattern of similar behavior.”

How Can Wisconsin Replace Him: Whether fans liked him or not, Davison could also be counted on to play. His 123 career games put him in fourth place on UW’s all-time list, his 1,363 points ties him with Sam Dekker for 19th place, fifth in free throw percentage (.830) and three-point field goals (222). Whether Davison returns or not, second-year guard Jonathan Davis (7.0 pts, 4.1 rbs in 31 games) is going to have a massive role on the team and be relied upon to bring that Davison energy on both ends of the floor.

Recruitment: The second four-star recruit in the 2017 class, Reuvers was ranked No.83 by Rivals in the 2017 class. He picked the Badgers out of 20 offers, including Creighton, Minnesota, North Carolina State and Northwestern.

High Point: After pressed into action as a true freshman before he was ready and a respectable sophomore season, Reuvers became the team’s main low-post weapon in 2019-20. With the team no longer able to lean heavily on Ethan Happ, Reuvers' scoring punch blossomed. Scoring more than 15 points only twice his first two seasons, Reuvers hit the mark 11 times his junior season. His best performance might have been in the 2020 season finale when he scored a game-high 17 points and added seven rebounds in UW’s 60-56 win at Indiana to clinch a share of the conference title.

Low Point: Reuvers looked like he was going to continue the momentum from last season when he hit double figures in the first four games of the season. In the final 27 games of this past season, Reuvers only hit double figures seven more times and just twice after February 6. Shooting 44.8 and 44.9 percent his sophomore and junior season, Reuvers finished at just 42.0 percent this season. The power outage was especially noticeable from three-point range where Reuvers hit just 28.6 percent of his attempts and was 5-for-39 during the Big Ten season.

How Can Wisconsin Replace Him: For as much as he struggled offensively, Reuvers was still a presence in the middle of the defense. He leaves school as Wisconsin’s all-time blocks leader (180, 26 more than Happ) and twice blocked nine shots in a game. UW didn’t get a long look at him because of an injury, but four-star forward Ben Carlson set high school records for career points (2,004), rebounds (1,083) and blocked shots (145). Carlson appeared in seven games and scored 13 points in his first college game.

Recruitment: Originally turning down a walk-on offer from Wisconsin for a full scholarship offer at Green Bay, Trevor Anderson had a change of heart after his first college season and joined the program as a walk-on. He eventually earned a scholarship.

High Point: While he was never able to replicate the offensive successes he had at Green Bay as a true freshman (starting all 20 games and averaging 9.8 points), Anderson’s 2020-21 season was his best statistical year with the Badgers. He played 14.2 minutes per game and his 53.2 percent shooting was the highest among the eight rotation players, as well his 54.2 percent shooting from the perimeter. Credited by Gard as someone who could push the tempo of the offense when playing point guard, Anderson’s best game came earlier this season when he went 4-for-4 (3-for-3 FGs) for 11 points in UW’s win over Louisville.

Low Point: Preparing for the 2018-19 season, Anderson suffered a partial tear in his knee during a fall camp non-contact drill. Considering he sat out the 2017-18 season after transferring, Anderson opted against season-ending surgery so he could play. He battled through the nonconference season but tore his ACL in his right knee after landing following a layup at Iowa, ending his season after eight games and 55 minutes.

How Can Wisconsin Replace Him: Anderson averaged 3.1 points per game, but his production wasn’t just about the points considering he had 36 assists to just 13 turnovers. Needing a player who can provide a spark off the bench, UW can look to Hepburn, Bowman or second-year Jordan Davis, who had 270 assists to 187 steals in high school.

Recruitment: After 59 games (12 starts) at Ohio State, Micah Potter decided he needed a change of scenery. That led to him finishing out the 2018 fall semester in Columbus and committing to Wisconsin in December.

High Point: It took time for Potter to get back into a game flow last season, but he became an integral part of the Badgers’ Big Ten championship run last season. Wisconsin was 16-5 in games that he played and he delivered performances (24 points, 13 rbds in a 58-49 win at Penn State, 18 pts, 7 rbds in a win at No.19 Michigan, 14 pts, 11 rbds in win at Indiana) that were vital to UW winning a conference title. During UW’s eight-game winning streak to close the season, Potter averaged 11.6 points and 6.5 rebounds and shot 46.2 percent from three-point range (12 of 26) and 55.0 percent overall (33 of 60).

Low Point: The main reason it took time for Potter to get into the rhythm was because the NCAA makes absolutely no sense. Potter did not play during the 2018–19 season but stayed in classes at Ohio State before transferring to Wisconsin for the spring 2019 semester. Wisconsin submitted a waiver request to allow him to compete at the beginning of the season, arguing he had already sat out a full year, but the NCAA denied the request.

“I don't understand why I am being punished additionally for doing what is encouraged of a student-athlete,” Potter said. “The penalty of a third semester to what I have already sat out seems unjust.”

UW continued to appeal, with Gard saying he hoped “common sense” would prevail, but Potter ultimately missed the first 10 games of the season.

How Can Wisconsin Replace Him: For as much of a struggle as this past season was for the players, Potter got into a rhythm over the last nine games, averaging 14.8 points, notching two double-doubles and was better defensively around the rim. Needing a low-post presence, the best bet on the current roster is freshman Steven Crowl. He appeared in 12 games as a true freshman, a number that would have been more, according to Gard, if the Badgers didn’t have two seniors in the rotation. The 7-0 Crowl had 832 rebounds and 103 blocks in high school while shooting 59 percent.