The 2019-20 Wisconsin Badgers were as resilient of a group as you will find throughout the history of college basketball. A tragedy before the season began, losing a key member of the rotation in Kobe King during the middle of the year, and yet somehow finding a way to win eight games and take a title share in the best conference in college basketball.
There’s the obvious differences with this upcoming season surrounding fans in the stands, the schedule, and more, but this change is one that will take place on the court. With over 80% of the scoring returning to Madison, and losing only one key contributor in senior Brevin Pritzl, what could feel significantly different between the 2019-20 Badgers and this edition? The answer lies in the 2020 freshman class.
During the dominant month of February for Wisconsin basketball, perhaps the most impressive element was the fact that head coach Greg Gard was only playing eight players per night. The shortened leash and big minutes for his key contributors helped Gard lead UW to an all-time turnaround. In this 2020-2021 squad, however, consistently playing ten or 11 players, especially early in the season, would be more expected than surprising.
Expect the two top-ranked 2020 recruits, Ben Carlson and Johnny Davis to see the court immediately. Beyond them, how deep will this bench go? Does senior guard Walt McGrory find the hardwood early on after appearing in 14 games last season? Is the Steven Crowl hype real enough to give him rotational minutes in his true freshman season? Does Gard feel that Wisconsin needs another ball handler in Detroit native Lorne Bowman, or does the freshman decide to redshirt?
Despite these being questions, they are ones that do not feel like their is a bad answer attached. These are good problems to have, and depth issues that only elite teams will face in 2020-2021. For a team that went eight deep in order to win a Big Ten championship, it would be hard to see the Badgers playing less than ten guys at the outset of the year. Over time, expect the rotational picture to become clear. Expect early mistakes, and short stints and leashes for young players, but also expect wins. This team is as deep as any in the country, and ready to turn a weakness from 2019-20 into one of their most important strengths in 2020-2021.