Wisconsin Finishes No.17 in Final Associated Press Poll

MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin finished No.17 in the final Associated Press poll released Wednesday, the Badgers’ highest ranking of the 2019-20 season. The Badgers (21-10) began the year unranked in the preseason top 25 polls but concluded the year on an eight-game winning streak to go 14-6 in conference play to share the Big Ten regular season title with Maryland and Michigan State.

Wisconsin earned the No.1 seed for the Big Ten Tournament last week before it was canceled (along with the NCAA Tournament) over the rapidly spreading COVID-19 coronavirus.

Other Big Ten teams that joined Wisconsin in the final AP poll were No.9 Michigan State, No.12 Maryland, No.19 Ohio State, No.21 Illinois and No.25 Iowa.

UW will likely be highly ranked in next season’s preseason poll, too, as the Badgers are expected to return a starting lineup comprised entirely of seniors: point guard D’Mitrik Trice (9.6 ppg with a 2.4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio), guard Brad Davison (10 ppg, 4.3 ppg), forward Aleem Ford (9.7 points and 5.5 rebounds over the final 10 games), forward Nate Reuvers (team-best 13.1 ppg and 56 blocks) and forward Micah Potter (10.3 ppg and team-high 6.3 rpg).

Finishing the season with only eight scholarship players, Wisconsin’s bench will be thin beyond senior guard Trevor Anderson (1.8 ppg) and sophomore forward Tyler Wahl (2.6 ppg), but Gard and his staff signed a six-member recruiting class that ranks the highest in the internet era, highlighted by Rivals.com four-star forward prospects Ben Carlson and Jonathan Davis.

Davis was recently named the 2020 Mr. Basketball winner for the state of Wisconsin after averaging 27.2 points per game for La Crosse Central,

Combine the stats of Pritzl, King and walk-on Michael Ballard, Wisconsin is expected to return 78.5 percent of its scoring, 83.5 percent of its rebounds and 77.5 percent of its minutes.