Five storylines heading into Wisconsin's 2019-20 season

The Wisconsin Badgers kick start their 2019-20 season with an exhibition tilt against UW-La Crosse on Friday evening inside the Kohl Center.

Before that, though, BadgerBlitz.com breaks down five storylines heading into Greg Gard's fourth full season as head coach.

As reported by the Wisconsin State Journal's Jim Polzin on Oct. 18, the Badgers "filed a request of reconsideration" after the NCAA initially denied the waiver appeal of the Ohio State transfer.

It seems like day after day after day, we hear of another college basketball player receiving clearance to play. Stadium's Jeff Goodman laid out his official tally on Wednesday.

And then another one went through on Thursday.

When speaking with BadgerBlitz.com on Wednesday, Micah Potter reiterated that his status has no changed, meaning the first time he will be able to suit up for game action continues to be the Dec. 21 matchup against Milwaukee.

"We haven't heard anything yet so we're just, like I said, we're being patient with it," Potter said. "It's frustrating, but all you can do is wait right now."

On Monday during his press conference, Gard did not mince words when discussing the situation.

"We haven’t gotten a decision back on that yet," Gard said. "I don’t understand it because obviously there’s a level of frustration that continues to grow with that because you see all these other waivers getting approved across the country, and I don’t understand really the logic behind why this one wouldn’t get if it doesn’t.

“In terms of you want a student athlete, or you want a young man in your program, he’s been phenomenal since day one, and I think that was always my trepidation when he transferred in or was going to transfer in. How does he fit in your locker room? What message does he bring? How is he as a person? How is he as a teammate? He’s been off the charts phenomenal. He’s done a terrific job academically. I just don’t, it’s hard when you see somebody that tries to do it the right way, could get extenuating punishment in terms of if he’s not eligible. He’ll sit longer than anybody else in the country. In terms of there’s so many that have played last year, and watching all these waivers get approved and 30-something games, 20-something games, and they’re immediately eligible. We don’t know always the underlying reasons, but I know the reasons behind Micah, and I’ve seen how he is day in and day out, what he does academically. You’ve seen my other statement. Everybody knows he’s missed a year already. It’ll be a year-and-half if this doesn’t move forward.

“Like I said, not many things raise my blood pressure. This is one that is.”

The topic will continue to be at the forefront so long as the NCAA does not reconsider.

On the court, whether or not Potter plays early will make a significant difference in the lineup. If he is granted his waiver and can compete immediately, he will bolster the Badgers' front court that needs to replace the production of the departing Ethan Happ.

Right now besides Potter, the front-runners include forwards Nate Reuvers and Aleem Ford -- and they are the only two that have meaningly game experience at the college level (more about them in the next section). If Potter cannot go, Wisconsin may have to rely more on true freshman Tyler Wahl and redshirt freshman Joe Hedstrom.

As mentioned during BadgerBlitz.com's "Five Burning Questions" article earlier this week, a reporter asked Gard how he is feeling about his depth if the NCAA will not reconsider Potter's status. The head coach mentioned he received "a lot of answers to that on Saturday" in a closed scrimmage with Iowa State.

"I liked what I saw," Gard said. "Reuvers actually picked up two first half fouls, and I was planning to get Joe some more experience. I got him more sooner than I thought I would, and it wasn’t all perfect, but he did some good things. I was put in a position where I had to play him, like I said, a little sooner than I planned to in that first half, and we were just fine.

“There’s different combinations. We can be so, I’ve used four at the five some in this preseason in practice just because of the versatility of this group and the mobility. The day of position-less offense has led to position-less defense which you’re switching a lot of things, so this group with the experience that’s there and the mobility and flexibility, allow for a lot of different combinations to be on the floor.”

According to Potter, the biggest thing for 7-foot, 240-pound Hedstrom has been his ability "to focus on keeping it simple."

"I know a lot of time with freshmen, and obviously he's a redshirt, but he didn't play at all last year," Potter said. "He was on the scout team, so being in a situation where he's actually playing for the first time, a lot of times guys can get kind of psyched out of their wits a little bit. He's done a very good job of controlling that and keeping it simple, not trying to do too much. Because of that, he's been able to perform at a high level -- whether it be rebounding, playing defense, or getting dump offs and pump faking, getting fouls or getting little finishes around the hoop -- he's done a really good job with that."

In Happ's case, the former Badger led the team in scoring per game (17.3), rebounds per game (10.1), assists (153), steals (38) and free throw attempts (161, of which he hit only 46.6 percent) last season. This will likely not be just one person but multiple players stepping up and emerging as breakout candidates.

Potter will be one to watch whenever he is eligible, as he has an ability to shoot from the outside while also being a presence in the post. That, along with his Big Ten experience at Ohio State for two years, will be greatly welcomed once he can get on the court.

Reuvers and Ford should be prime candidates in the front court. As heard on the most recent BadgerBlitz.com Podcast episode, Potter mentioned the former has developed an ability to finish with jump hooks rather than doing fade away jumpers -- while the latter changed his body to be "a lot more cut, a lot more defined," increased his strength and with that, added more confidence.

From the guard standpoint, redshirt junior D'Mitrik Trice and Brad Davison finished last season in double digits (11.6 and 10.5, respectively) -- the only two returning Badgers to this year squad to do so. The former started off hot in the 2018-19 campaign from behind the arc but finished at 39 percent from deep.

Having guard/wing Kobe King step up could be huge. The redshirt sophomore scored in double figures less than a handful of times last season in his second year at UW, but the potential flashed.

Wednesday, Trice mentioned King playing at the point guard position a bit. That seems intriguing, especially with a skillset that the latter possesses with attacking the hoop and Wisconsin needing to replace Happ's ability to get to the free throw line.

"Kobe has developed a whole new asset to his game, I think," Trice said about King's development in that role. "The biggest thing for him is he's attacking the rim a lot more, and he's getting to the free throw line and making plays for others. That's the biggest thing that he's been working on is being aggressive, and it shows at times. Even when we put him on the point, he's finding other guys to get open. He's making the right reads and attacking when he needs to."

In June, the NCAA announced that the three-point line would be pushed back to 22' 1.75" for Division I contests. That has the potential to affect what the Badgers can do on both inside and out.

"Well it definitely spreads the floor a little bit more than compared to what it was before," Potter said. "Obviously, it opens up a little bit more of a driving lane for ball handlers and such, but the big thing is, I think guys are going to have to adjust to distance. I think, in the beginning, percentages will go down a little bit just because it's a little bit farther back, but I think guys will be able to adjust to it. We haven't had too much of a problem in practices with adjusting to the three-point line."

Wisconsin finished the 2018-19 season shooting 35.9 percent from deep. Can Trice, Davison, Reuvers, Ford, Pritzl -- who led the conference in three-point percentage during Big Ten play -- and Potter become more consistent and not trail off like the team did last season?

During Wisconsin's local media day on Oct. 11, assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft noted Tyler Wahl's versatility and how "he'll be able to guard and play any position really." The former Badger turned assistant also stated the first-year player is "like a sponge."

"He picks things up really, really quick, and I think that's very important as a young guy if you want to be on the floor," Krabbenhoft said. "You don't have to harp and harp and harp and go over something three, four times with him until he gets it right. He may fail. He may do something wrong, but it's usually just once, and then he figures it out pretty quick so that's how you get on the floor. You're a good listener and a quick learner and he's got lots of questions, but he's done a great job."

"I think he's said it and a lot of people have publicly, he's just willing to do what most guys aren't. Luckily we have a team of guys like that for the most part, but Tyler really epitomizes wearing that. He's a worker. He does some of the dirty work. He's just one of those type of guys, and that's why our guys like playing with him and they want him on the floor."

With Potter's status in limbo, key rotational work for Wahl will likely be forthcoming. When BadgerBlitz.com asked Potter earlier this week about Hedstrom and the impact he could make this season, I lumped in the first-year forward into the question as well. During Wednesday's practice time that was open to the media, the latter drained a couple of three-pointers and did not appear out of place.

"He had a lot of situations in the scrimmage and, as you said, in practice where he's stepped up, hit big shots and done all the little things really well," Potter said of Wahl. "Running the floor, making smart passes, getting offensive rebounds, all that kind of stuff."