The timing of Micah Potter’s first game in this 2019-2020 Wisconsin basketball season was 10 games too late. Potter deserved to be able to play in Game 1 against Saint Mary’s. The NCAA was very tardy — and arbitrary — in its dealings with Potter. It was not and is not a happy occurrence that Potter was able to play for the Badgers this late into the season. Wisconsin’s record would probably be a few games better than 6-5 had Potter been around from the jump.
That having been said, at least Potter didn’t come one game later than he did. At least Potter was able to play on Saturday versus Milwaukee. At least Potter was able to flush some nerves out of the system and take the floor in a game the Badgers were able to comfortably win by 19 points, 83-64. At least Potter was able to get his return done with, so that he and the rest of us don’t have to speculate or guess or live in lingering uncertainty:
#Badgers Potter on whether he was playing too fast, jittery early. "Yikes. It was pretty obvious."
— Jeff Potrykus (@jaypo1961) December 22, 2019
The bad news — Potter not being able to play in any of the first 10 games of the season — outweighs the good, but the good news exists: Potter scored 12 points and pulled down five rebounds in his Wisconsin debut. He gained live action with his teammates. Greg Gard got to see him play in various combinations with other players. Now Wisconsin, its players, and its coaches all have a better idea of what they can do — and what they can expect — heading into a very important non-conference game with the Tennessee Volunteers on Dec. 28.
Wisconsin badly needs that game against the Vols for NCAA Tournament purposes. It might be too much to say that it’s a must-win, given all the quality-win opportunities the Badgers will have in a very deep Big Ten Conference, which has a dozen teams in or near the KenPom top 60. However, getting a win away from the Kohl Center against a good team is something Wisconsin’s resume needs in bulk numbers. Wisconsin can’t go to the committee in March and turn in a report card which has practically no road or neutral wins. The Badgers need to start accumulating those results. With Potter having a game under his belt, that contest is genuinely winnable. We will truly begin to see what this team is capable of with Micah Potter on the floor.
It seems premature to say we know what Potter will be able to achieve after a 19-point win over a struggling mid-major. (Milwaukee is 5-7 after this loss.) What is safe to say, though, is that the nerves have been flushed out of the system. The thick layer of uncertainty hovering over this team has thinned out — it hasn’t been eliminated, but it is much less pronounced. Now this team can loosen up and play. Hopefully, Potter will help unlock this team’s best basketball away from home on the final weekend of the year and the decade.