It is true that Micah Potter — who was not yet eligible to play the last time Wisconsin faced Rutgers this season — might become an intriguing X-factor for the UW basketball team when it meets Rutgers this Sunday. However, Potter’s place in this game and this particular matchup is a mystery, because we don’t have a previous game to study and consider.
We do, however, have a basis for comparison when referring to two other Wisconsin players. Nate Reuvers and D’Mitrik Trice did not play their best basketball on Dec. 11 against Rutgers. Therefore, they are the two prime examples of players who must elevate their levels of performance if the Badgers are to handle the Scarlet Knights in the Kohl Center.
Two months ago, Reuvers scored six points against Rutgers and Trice managed only two. They had a hard time solving the Scarlet Knights’ defense. Kobe King poured in 18 points and Trevor Anderson scored 11, but the Badgers failed to get balanced production throughout their roster, something they have improved in recent weeks. It is doubtful that UW can beat Rutgers if Reuvers and Trice combine for a grand total of just eight points on Sunday in Madison.
What adds to the need for Reuvers and Trice — not other UW players — to become the central offensive engines for Wisconsin against Rutgers is that neither player had a good shooting touch against Purdue this past Tuesday. Reuvers, to his great credit, did make five free throws. Trice, to his credit, did hit a pair of threes. Yet, the two were a combined 6 of 21 from the field; Reuvers was 3 of 10, Trice 3 of 11. The two were a combined 3 of 12 on 3-pointers; Reuvers was 1 of 5, Trice 2 of 7.
Against Rutgers, that similarly won’t cut it. A 6-of-21 shooting line is just under 30 percent. A 3-of-12 shooting line from 3-point range is 25 percent. Reuvers and Trice will need to shoot at least 40 percent overall, at least 35 percent on threes, for Wisconsin to feel reasonably good about its chances.
Wisconsin scored 29 points against Rutgers this past December thanks to a player who is no longer on the team (King, 18 points) and a role player who is unlikely to make lightning strike twice in the same spot (Anderson, 11 points). Compensating for those 29 points is a job the whole roster must tend to, but of all the players who will take the court for UW on Sunday, Reuvers and Trice are the most natural and logical candidates for the “compensation crew.”
They need to be there if Wisconsin is to have its best possible chance of defeating Rutgers.